Rain Noir
by Shadow Oblivion
Summary: When Grell doesn't launch into one of his nauseating declarations of love one evening, Sebastian decides to find out why. After he does, it only adds to his slowly growing problems, like having to kill a demon on the manor grounds after Ciel had just received orders from the Queen. Sebastian should have just left the issue of Grell alone, and his life would have been a bit easier.
1. Chapter 1

So I'm going back through the story and revising it, so hopefully it will read more smoothly and have a little more action in it than before. It will be more or less the same, with some lengthening of some scenes and additions of others for plot reasons (starting in ch. 2, I believe). I am also taking into consideration the manga, meaning there will be mentions of the Campania arc and perhaps others.

It is rated M for the suggestiveness of the first two chapters (which could still be considered a story on its own), as well as for some future chapters.

Disclaimer: I own nothing from Kuroshitsuji.

X-x-x-x-x

It was a slow evening in London. In fact, it was a rather boring one at that, according to the lone figure that walked along its deserted streets. The city itself never really interested him all that much, nor did the people wandering about its narrow streets. The dark-clad butler was the only being in the area for the moment, and that suited him just fine. It made traveling infinitely easier, instead of using a carriage to get around. Horses were slow to travel by. Sebastian smiled to himself. His way was much quicker and quite a bit easier.

The demon was returning from his errand of getting medicine for Ciel, who was sick. The boy had all but ordered him out of the mansion before dinner, with the blunt statement against the idea of Sebastian trying to spoon feed him again. The demonic butler smiled to himself as he navigated the road. The flustered look on his young master's face had been absolutely priceless.

Sebastian stared at nothing in particular as he headed back in the direction of the mansion. His mind was distracted, as he pondered the implications of being allowed out of the manor without Ciel. Sebastian supposed that with such specific orders (to get the medicine and return) that it wasn't as if Sebastian could do anything on his own, since the order left little time for any distractions. There was a slight exhalation of breath from the musing demon. With Ciel sick, Sebastian had nothing better to do other than chores (the other servants were slacking, again) and go on the occasional errand. He was, quite frankly, bored out of his mind. Nothing interesting had happened in the past month and a half, as his young master had not been called away to investigate anything for the queen...

"Meow."

Sebastian stopped walking abruptly, and glanced down at the ground to where a gray cat was staring up at him. Sebastian and the cat stared at one another, before Sebastian dropped down to his knees and scooped the cat up, medicine bag forgotten on the ground next to him, "Ahh...so beautiful, so graceful." Sebastian murmured softly, as he squeezed one of the cat's paws gently. The demonic butler sighed wistfully at the squirming animal in his grasp and wondered if he could possibly get the cat into the mansion without Ciel noticing.

It would be a pity to leave such a graceful creature all alone in the deserted streets of London.

X-x

Grell Sutcliff was not a happy reaper. Not only had he managed to raise William T. Spears ire early in the morning, but he had managed to do so in front of a score of other reapers. Grell rubbed one hand ruefully over the back of his head, wincing ever so slightly. All he had been trying to do was show his gratitude to Will for letting him have a day off last week. William, however, had been so scare in the office that the only place Grell could corner him was the entrance to headquarters. The red head really didn't believe that he should have gotten hit over the head with William's deathscythe for merely trying to thank the other man.

Grell dropped his hand down to his side and sighed. Well, maybe if he hadn't run a hand along the dark haired reaper's lower back and slipped a finger of his other hand down his suit. At the time the whoops and wolf whistles from those gathered had entertained Grell, and William had looked ever so dashing with a rumpled suit and mussed up hair from the effort of trying to fend him off. The aftermath, however, hadn't been quite so fun. Several swats to the head and a load of overtime was what Grell received for being too forward when a simple 'thank you' would have sufficed, in William's opinion.

Grell sighed again gloomily, and took stock of his surroundings. Here he was, in London, after a full day of soul reapings. He was exhausted, but knew he would have to return to headquarters soon. William had practically demanded he come back and prove that he had done his work for the day. Grell ran a hand through his hair slowly, a faint smile crossing his lips. Perhaps another thank you in William's office might make him rethink having the red head come in and show his completed work. That would allow Grell to have evenings to himself work free, and allow him time to pursue other interests.

Like one Sebastian Michaelis.

Grell shivered at the thought of the demonic butler. Now there was another cold man, so serious about his little display of playing the perfect butler. But the red headed reaper was incredibly curious to see another side of Sebastian. The demon side, specifically. Grell had seen a little bit of it from the times they had crossed paths. Like on the _Campania_. Grell swooned a little at the memory of a wet Sebastian, and sighed wistfully. It was quite a shame that the ship had been sinking, and that Undertaker had interfered. Grell had wanted to play with the butler for a little longer.

Grell paused mid step before digging out a pocket watch and checking the time. He still had time before he was expected back at headquarters, so maybe he'd go look for Sebastian and play for a little to get the stress of the day out. That sounded like an interesting diversion, Grell decided, as he snapped the pocket watch shut and stowed it away. Pawing at his hair self-consciously, the reaper suddenly came to an abrupt halt, hardly daring to believe eyes. Sebastian was right there, and fawning away over a filthy little purring cat. Grell's lips stretched into a toothy, pleased grin.

This evening was starting to turn out better than the rest of the day put together.

X-x

Sebastian froze in the process of snuggling the cat closer to his body and let out a soft breath of irritation. He had just sensed something that unfortunately meant he needed to not be distracted. Sebastian reluctantly released the cat, and watched longingly as it ran off. It had been such a beauty, too. Sebastian stood up smoothly, tugging his gloves into place as a way to distract himself from the upcoming unpleasant conversation he was sure to have. It was quite unfortunate that that _thing _would be the one to interrupt him. Sebastian almost wished he hadn't thought that there was nothing to do lately. The reason for this? Impending doom was approaching him at a rather fast pace, and had Sebastian not been the level headed demon that he was, he might have been a little more concerned.

Grell Sutcliff had spotted him, and the redheaded shinigami was making a direct beeline for him with a wide smile on his face. The look alone was enough to make the dark haired demon believe that the reaper had something truly devious in mind. Something that Sebastian had no desire to ever participate in with the reaper.

Sebastian braced himself for an onslaught of Grell's flirtations, but they never came. Sebastian cast a look in the reaper's direction, and saw that the other had slowed his approach. The demon blinked. That wasn't what Sebastian had expected to happen at all. A leaping Grell was easy enough to deal with, as Sebastian would have merely side stepped him. The dark clad butler was even more taken aback with what happened next. Sebastian watched in amazed silence as Grell suddenly came to a complete halt, as though he had just remembered something. Grell's smile quickly faded, turning into a disappointed frown. He turned away from the baffled demon, and began to walk in the opposite direction with a dejected exhale of breath.

Sebastian was utterly perplexed. What had just happened? It was unlike the shinigami to leave without even trying anything. The scenario was almost perfect for Grell to attempt to hang all over him lewdly and spout off nauseating romantic lines. And to do so with no regard to how uncomfortable the reaper's close proximity was to him, or how his words nearly made Sebastian's skin crawl. After all, the demon was not used to advances being made on him, as the seducing would be something he might do as a means to get information. Or to do so for the hell of it, just to have the pleasure of feeling in control.

Watching the redhead walk away, Sebastian decided on a whim to follow Grell. For some odd reason, the demon wanted to know why the reaper hadn't tried to jump him or bother him, like he normally was prone to do. It had sure looked like Grell had wanted to launch into a nauseating declaration of love involving Sebastian, or slide in close to press up against him. Said demon shook his head. Sebastian knew he should have just been glad that Grell had decided to leave him alone for once, but the other had gotten him curious. Sebastian smiled faintly. Perhaps because he was so bored he found the idea of wrangling answers out of a shinigami to be desirable to the mediocre chores that were sure to be waiting for him back at the manor.

Sebastian started after the reaper's retreating form, as he figured his sick young master would call if he needed him. This was rather unlikely based on the state Ciel had been in. It was more likely that he would sleep until morning, and Sebastian would be quite finished with this little detour by that point in time. After all, Ciel hadn't specifically stated when he had to return from his errand. Sebastian's eyes gleamed a little more brightly as he started to move at a faster pace. The idea of chasing quarry was quite appealing, since a reaper was much quicker than any human could ever hope to be. Sebastian only hoped Grell would actually run. It wouldn't be any fun otherwise if the chase was cut short.

X-x

Grell hoped that he could get out of range of Sebastian before William decided to come to London and locate him, as he was supposed to have been to back at work by now. The red headed reaper had been mistaken about the time, and therefore hadn't realized he had no time to dally. Grell had misread his pocket watch, and while he would have loved to stay and chat with Sebastian, (read: attack with his deathscythe) he didn't want to get scolded by William again. After all, Grell did recall that he had been told numerous times to stay away from the demon. Grell was positive that William would be more than happy to give him even more overtime than he had today to keep him busy.

Sensing something behind him, Grell tilted his head to one side, and caught sight Sebastian. Why was the butler following him? Grell almost turned around to tempt fate, but after catching sight of the rather predatory gleam in the demon's eyes, Grell decided to be cautious instead. Without warning, the red headed reaper broke into a run, hopping onto a roof and then racing down an alley, in the hopes of throwing Sebastian off his trail.

Sebastian saw that Grell started to run. Sebastian blinked. What an interesting reaction. The demonic butler had half expected to see Grell throw himself at him once he realized he was being followed. Grell had more self-control than he had expected. Sebastian gave chase, thinking that this was an interesting development. Fleeing prey made it all the more exciting, and Sebastian wondered whether Grell knew that. He should have an inkling, at the very least. Although...it didn't really matter at this point, since the events were already in motion. Sebastian could have easily caught up the reaper, to have a little 'chat' and then be on his way. However, with the opportunity of exerting himself more than usual, Sebastian allowed himself to focus on the chase and the sudden fear coming from the shinigami. It was pleasant, in a way, to focus on an instinct, and not have to think about anything else.

Sebastian cut ahead of the shinigami, and blocked his passage with a disturbingly pleasant smile, "Mr. Grell, I do believe you are acting out of sorts. Perhaps you are to be working and dealing with a large number of souls this evening, and you aren't supposed to talk about it?"

Grell skidded to a halt, and looked to be in the process of retorting, when he ended up tsking instead and leaping onto the roof of the nearest building.

Still wearing a pleasant smile, Sebastian took to the roofs after him with hardly any effort at all. The demon was actually enjoying popping out of random alleyways and streets, cutting off Grell's attempts to throw him off.

There were no words exchanged after a while, only looks, and the looks that Grell could make out were very ominous to him. It was almost as if Sebastian was playing with him, but that couldn't be. Sebastian wouldn't waste his time like this. Grell scowled a little as he dodged down another alley. Really, what was going on in that demon's mind?

The chase took them throughout most of London at a breakneck speed, Grell becoming more and more desperate in his attempts to ditch Sebastian, while the demon kept up with infuriating ease.

Sebastian found it almost entertaining that Grell thought he could escape so easily. If he really tried, the red headed reaper wouldn't be fleeing as he had been for the past two hours.

Grell, meanwhile, was growing more and more frustrated. No matter where he went, whether it was dodging around or over buildings, alleys and even racing over rooftops, he still couldn't get Sebastian to stop following after him...and the demon kept getting closer. Grell knew that he wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer. Sebastian was steadily gaining on him, and Grell did know, unbeknownst to Sebastian, that the demonic butler could easily catch him whenever he wanted to do so. Right now, it seemed like Sebastian was amusing himself by prolonging the chase. Grell hoped that Sebastian would end it soon. Even shinigami could get tired, and despite the warnings he had received (mostly from William) Grell was curious as to why Sebastian was bothering to go after him. It was incredibly tempting to just stop and turn around, to see what would happen.

Grell shook his head lightly. He may have tried that, if it weren't for the fact that Sebastian seemed to be very into the pursuit. The bits of language issuing from Sebastian now and then were most definitely not in English, and that made Grell worry that Sebastian didn't have all of his senses at the moment. The red head could be badly injured if Sebastian thought he was prey or something. Grell focused solely on running, and tried to push himself to go even faster. At this point, he wasn't even really paying attention to where he was going. Because of this, Grell hadn't realized that he had entered the wooded area around the Phantomhive mansion within the past few minutes. He was only focused on getting away from Sebastian, and any potential harm the demonic butler may cause due to the chase.

The thrill of the chase had worn down by now, especially since the reaper had slowed down significantly. Sebastian tired of it soon after, once he realized Grell was within easy reach for the past half hour, and the demon's thoughts came back to him. Sebastian suddenly let out a despairing sound of displeasure. He had left the medicine lying back on the ground in London. Meaning he would have to go back to retrieve it. Sebastian turned his eyes to the fleeing shinigami's back. He would have time for that when he was finished with the reaper. He was stopping this pitiful attempt at escape, now. Sebastian increased his speed, and lunged forward at the redhead running before him.

Grell felt hands grab either of his arms from behind, and let out a cry of surprise as Sebastian stopped him by roughly pinning him up against a nearby tree. Grell had thought that Sebastian would trip him or somehow get him pinned to the ground in some painful way. After all, Sebastian seemed to have made it quite clear that he didn't actually want to touch him, for whatever reason. Feeling Sebastian's hands squeezing either of his wrists tightly made Grell grin a little against the tree. This was better, to be restrained like this, but it made Grell a little nervous as to what the demon was up to.

Heavy breathing could be heard for a few moments as Sebastian adjusted his grip on the other, keeping Grell pressed up against the tree to prevent him from escaping. The mixture of fear and now excitement coming from the shinigami was doing interesting things to Sebastian, but the demon ignored the feeling for the moment. He was a butler of the Phantomhive manor, and therefore it would be in bad taste for him to be unable to ignore any carnal feelings. He was on the job, so to speak. Instead, Sebastian focused on his original intention of finding out why Grell hadn't bothered him and had instead decided to run away. The demonic butler also ignored, for the moment, the fact that it was not a very good reason to go chasing after the reaper. It was a rather stupid one, actually. Sebastian's grip tightened when he felt Grell trying to discreetly wriggle out of his grasp. The demon waited patiently until Grell had ceased struggling to speak.

"I'm going to cut the formalities and get to the point. Why did you run, when it looked as though you had other things in mind?" Sebastian questioned pleasantly. He could only hope that Grell didn't realize that it was a pointless reason to go so far as chasing him all over London. It could cause trouble for him in the future should the two cross paths again.

Grell went limp against the tree, once he realized it was useless to struggle. Sebastian had an iron grip, and it wasn't probable that he would be able to break free easily. Grell was silent for a moment, before he seemed to come to some internal decision. A thought had occurred to him, and while Grell didn't think it would work on Sebastian, the red head decided it was worth a try.

"Please...let go...leave me alone." Oh, it was far too easy for Grell to make himself sound miserable. Must have been all the times he had tried to be pathetic in front of Will to try and get him to go easy on him (usually when he had messed up on a job). Unfortunately, William had grown far too used to the pathetic display, and had therefore become immune to it. Grell smiled faintly. Now all he had to do was wait and see how Sebastian would respond.

Sebastian was surprised at the quiet, subdued voice that had issued from the trapped reaper. Then, he became a tad bit annoyed. Why did Grell want to be away from him all of a sudden, when he would normally be pestering him nonstop whenever he saw him? Why stop now? Something was going on, and Sebastian wanted to know what it was. Sebastian kept Grell pinned firmly against the tree and queried in a softer tone, "Why should I leave you alone?" Sebastian heard a light sigh, and thought to ask in a more seductive way, though Sebastian was loathe to do so should it actually bring forth a response. While he was pondering the implications of doing such a thing was when Grell made his move.

The shinigami shoved himself away from the tree, which managed to throw Sebastian off balance, as he hadn't been expecting this and had been preoccupied with potential ways of gathering information.

Grell was amazed that he had caught Sebastian off guard, but took the moment he had gained to try and run. Perhaps if he could have enough time to make a portal and get through it, he could avoid Sebastian for now, at least until William got off his back about doing work on time. Sebastian's question hadn't really sunk in, as Grell had been more distracted with how close the demon had been to him. Grell felt a momentary rush at managing to outwit Sebastian, even though said demon recovered almost instantaneously.

Sebastian almost scowled with displeasure at being outwitted, albeit temporarily, by a reaper of all things, and reached forward. Sebastian seized the redhead before he could get too far, and, without thinking much of it, drew Grell up against his chest, looping one arm around the suddenly still reaper's waist, effectively trapping Grell's right arm.

Grell, knowing he had been caught, again, abruptly swung his left hand, thinking that he might be able to hit the other in the face and throw him off again. He needed time to sort out his whirling mind, and Sebastian suddenly becoming clingy rather startled him, and Grell didn't know what to make of it. It was what he had wanted to have happen, but it somehow seemed wrong to have it happen in this fashion. The swinging fist didn't have much force behind it, as Grell was actually becoming more and more curious about what Sebastian was doing. And why the demon was holding him the way he was. It seemed a bit too...intimate, and it was likely dangerous to be considering Sebastian's actions to be alluring. He was a demon, after all, and somehow Grell doubted that this was a prelude to sex. Rather disappointing, that. A little pain would be all right if he got to sleep with something as exotic as a demon.

Sebastian merely caught Grell's left hand with his own, stopping any attempt at retaliation. He was getting weary of the playing, and now merely wanted his questions to be answered, before the two could part ways, and forget this meeting ever occurred. At least, the demonic butler would try and put it out of his mind. He was currently unaware of the way Grell's thoughts were headed, and had he known, he would have been very displeased.

Grell whined unhappily at being stopped so easily. The night was not going the way he had thought it would. For one, Grell hadn't expected Sebastian to follow him, and keep on following him. The demon hadn't shown any interest in him before after all. Nor had Grell expected Sebastian to not resort to violence to catch him. And finally...Grell had not foreseen Sebastian holding him so close without any malicious intent, which was what Grell had expected when Sebastian had him fully restrained again. In fact, it seemed as though Sebastian was more intrigued than anything. That idea didn't make it any better at the moment, since Grell didn't know what Sebastian's intentions toward him were. Was the demon trying to lure him into a false sense of security? Grell tried to shift out of the other's grasp again.

Sebastian ignored Grell's discomfort as well as his poor attempt to sneak away, "Why are you so adamant on getting away from me tonight? It seems unlike you to do so. After all, you've made it quite clear in the past that you either want to bed with me or tear me to shreds with that deathscythe of yours. Or both, which would be hazardous to my health."

"Mmm, that's rather kinky of you to say, Sebastian. Maybe I'll consider it for future encounters." Grell grinned again, as he had heard the exasperation in the demon's voice, and he found it funny, for some reason.

"I believe I asked a question, Mr. Grell. I would very much like you to answer it, so we can both be on our way."

Grell went limp in Sebastian's grip at the demon's words. So, Sebastian just wanted information. He should have known that Sebastian wouldn't have gone after him for any other reason. It wasn't like Grell would have expected the demon to be interested in him in _that_ way, but still...why did Sebastian even bother chasing after him to find out answers to such a simple question? There was a moment of silence, before Grell spoke, deciding that if he was going to succeed in avoiding a scolding from Will, he might as well tell Sebastian what he wanted to hear, "I was told that if I went to see you again, there would be consequences." That should be enough for Sebastian. No need to have to explain it. There wasn't much else to say, other than the fact that it was only William telling him this, and not any of the higher ups in the dispatch.

Sebastian was amused with the short reply and decided then and there that he actually _wanted_ to play a bit longer. He was a very bored demon, after all. Sebastian supposed that could have been part of the reason why he chased after Grell in the first place. Sebastian rested his head on Grell's right shoulder, murmuring silkily near the ear, "I wouldn't think that consequences would stop you. After all, killing all of those prostitutes brought consequences, right? The idea of being punished didn't stop you then, so why would it now?" Sebastian let his hold on Grell's left hand loosen, giving the reaper the option to draw away, if he so chose. It was a false offer, of course, and Sebastian merely wanted to see if the reaper were in the mood for another chase. One that involved flying cutlery this time around.

Grell considered trying to escape at the blatant offer, but knew, on an instinctive level, that Sebastian wasn't done playing yet, and that the demon wasn't going to let him leave until he was through with him. Grell knew that if he broke free of the other's grasp, that he might actually come to bodily harm, and not the kind that he would have minded. Grell took a shuddering breath, not liking this cornered feeling in the least, and responded, "I...I don't want to test anyone's patience...especially not William's..." Since the dark haired man had been very irritated this morning, and it was imperative that Grell get back to work now. Two hours ago, in fact.

Now that he was in trouble for that, Grell thought perhaps he could get in a little deathscythe practice with Sebastian. After all, Grell wasn't some loose woman; he wasn't about to let a demon play around with him without a little struggle, of the violent kind. Grell smirked a little, before his lips thinned into a small frown. Grell really, really hoped William wasn't out looking for him tonight. It would be awkward, no matter what might happen between the him and the butler.

Sebastian declined saying anything in response other than to chuckle darkly. He loosened his right arm around Grell's waist, to allow his hand to travel up slowly and tug the striped ribbon the other wore loose. The demon let it drop to the ground dismissively in favor of reaching for the buttons of Grell's vest with both hands. Grell hadn't moved anywhere, perhaps because he hadn't been expecting to be undressed all of a sudden, out on the mansion's wooded grounds. Sebastian unbuttoned the first few buttons of Grell's vest and then the white dress shirt beneath it, his long, gloved fingers teasing the others' skin. Sebastian heard Grell's breath hitch in disbelief, and smiled to himself.

This night might prove to be interesting after all.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x

More or less the same chapter revised, but nearly 2,000 words longer. I'm still open to suggestions about ways to go with the pairing. Otherwise I'll wing it until the new chapters (Ch. 9 and on). With the added plot, and changes I made to the ending of the story, this might end up being around a 20 chapter story, give or take a few chapters. It all depends on how this revision goes, and if anyone has a particular thought on the potential romance. I do like writing Sebastian as a suave, seductive asshole who takes advantage of people, but that's just me.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The shinigami was a perfect toy.

Toy...it was an amusing word, Sebastian mused to himself, as he tilted his head and breathed on the trembling redhead's neck, murmuring again, "Consequences wouldn't really stop you from coming to see me, correct?"

"I..I..ahh!" Grell bit his lip to prevent himself from crying out too loudly. What did Sebastian think he was doing? He had already made it clear before that he had no interest in him. So why the sudden change of mind? Grell narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but it was hard to concentrate when Sebastian was slowly undoing the buttons, and even harder for the red head to bite back an odd moan here and there.

Sebastian unbuttoned more of Grell's clothing, his fingers dancing lightly across more of the exposed skin. He slid the white dress shirt down a bit, and smirked against the back of Grell's now bare neck. Sebastian whispered over the occasional moan the reaper failed to conceal, "There's more to it than you're telling me, isn't there...?" Sebastian fell silent as he explored the others' chest absently, drawing forth a sound of not quiet protest.

Grell shivered as he felt the demon's fingers slide against his chest, and tried to talk before Sebastian could get too far. There was something wrong about this, yet Grell couldn't place his finger on it. Grell gasped as Sebastian slid a hand down his stomach, "Se..Sebastian, stop it…you can't…" Grell bit back a high pitched whine as Sebastian dipped a finger along his belt. There was something definitely going on in the demon's mind, and Grell somehow didn't believe all the light, feathery touches were going to last for very long.

The half half-hearted, unfinished plea went unheard, as Sebastian decided that what he was doing was totally unnecessary, but it was interesting to subjugate Grell to. Yes, that was all. It was fun to toy with the reaper's mind, with what the red head surely daydreamed about on occasion. Sebastian spoke again after a brief pause, as he moved both his hands to splay against the other's fully exposed chest, "What would the consequences of seeing me entail?"

Grell strained against Sebastian's hands, desperately trying to get away, but was unable to as the demon merely used his hands to hold him in place. Grell was about to use one of his own freed arms to try and push Sebastian back, when the demon reached up and used his left hand to seize long red hair. Grell sucked in his breath as Sebastian pulled the hair that had fallen forward, away from the reaper's throat gently. Grell leaned to one side, unconscious of his own actions, as the demon brushed his lips against his throat. Grell managed to bite back a groan when Sebastian scraped his teeth across the skin, before biting down lightly. Grell swallowed nervously, and, mindful of the bite hold Sebastian had over his throat, tried one more time to get away, "Let go!" Grell wouldn't be able to protest for much longer if this kept up...

"No, I don't think I will..." Sebastian retorted after drawing away from Grell's throat, a devilish smirk on his lips. He enjoyed how the other's fear was beginning to be dominated by excitement, longing…desperation. It was a delicious combination. Allowing his senses to drift, Sebastian deduced that Ciel was asleep in his bedroom, where he had left him earlier that evening. Good. Sebastian had time to play then. It was almost comical, the way the shinigami was desperately trying to deny any pleasure from what was happening. Sebastian calmly turned Grell around to face him, undoing the rest of the buttons of the vest, followed swiftly by the dress shirt beneath it.

Pale skin was revealed, and by the way Grell was blushing despite not looking at him told Sebastian that Grell liked what was happening, despite his continued efforts of telling him to stop, or of trying to get away. Sebastian reached out with his left hand again and seized Grell's chin, forcing the others' head toward him in order to lock gazes, "Stop struggling. It's boring me now." As Grell ignored the comment and refused to keep eye contact, Sebastian dropped his left hand onto Grell's left shoulder, gripping firmly. With his right hand, Sebastian placed it beneath the clothing on Grell's other shoulder. With another glance between them and a tiny little smirk, Sebastian slowly eased the clothing off of the shinigami's shoulders.

Grell opened his mouth to tell him to stop, when he saw that Sebastian simply continued to smile. Grell was momentarily confused, until he felt a leg hook behind one of his knees. Grell fell backwards with a cry of surprise.

Sebastian succeeded in peeling off the redhead's vest, dress shirt and jacket in the descent, and tossed them to one side carelessly. On the ground, Grell's blush was more noticeable, and the shinigami was staring up at Sebastian with frustration and something akin to...lust?

Sebastian hoped it wouldn't go that far. He had been planning on merely toying with the reaper and then leaving him hanging. Oh well. Sebastian decided to see how long it would take for Grell to cave in and answer his questions. It was a game after all, nothing more. At least, that was what Sebastian was telling himself as he loomed over the blushing shinigami beneath him.

Grell recovered from the fall fairly quickly, and peeked up at Sebastian, feeling self-conscious. The red headed reaper was feeling a little more than turned on with the way Sebastian was now pinning him to the ground. Grell kept his eyes on the demon as he shifted a bit, one hand gripping at the grassy ground. The direction this little meeting had taken was unexpected, but not wholly unwelcome. It was just a bit off. Really, what did Sebastian think he was doing? It wasn't like him at all...

Sebastian was leering now, as he reached out and plucked Grell's glasses off, flipping the chain connected to the glasses as he did over Grell's head. Sebastian set the glasses aside, before he fixed his gaze on his captive. Aware that he _was_ pinning the reaper down in the grass, Sebastian leaned forward so that he was nearly nose to nose with Grell. Sensing a flurry of emotions going through the other, Sebastian's leer became more pronounced, "Are you going to reconsider answering me, or do I have to resort to regretfully forcing them out of you?"

Grell's eyes flashed at that, and he bared his pointed teeth up at the smug demon, who had tilted his head back a bit to observe his reaction. Grell hadn't anticipated any of this happening. He didn't know how he should respond. Other than to perhaps attack. With that thought in mind, Grell's hand suddenly closed around his materialized deathscythe, and he locked eyes with Sebastian, growling, "Get off of me! I won't tell you anything if you keep acting like this." Grell angled the deathscythe at Sebastian warningly, a dangerous look in his two-toned eyes, "I won't repeat myself, Sebas_-chan_." Oh, if only he could bluff his way out of this. Things were transpiring far too quickly, and Grell doubted he could resist if Sebastian were to go any farther.

Sebastian's eyes flashed in response, as if the demonic butler was almost entertained by the sight of the deathscythe aimed threateningly at him, "Well, then..." Sebastian slumped down on top of Grell, using one hand to force the arm holding the deathscythe to the ground. Ensuring that he had a good grip, the demon made himself comfortable, "I'll take all the time I need to get what I want," Sebastian told Grell matter of factly, and rested his head on his free arm, as he looked down intently at the other in silence.

Grell was attempting but failing to ignore Sebastian, owing to the fact that the demon was lying rather heavily on top of him. Sebastian was too close. Grell's grasp tightened on the deathscythe, but he was understandably distracted, and he didn't appear to remember how to start his deathscythe. It was also challenging to think straight as Sebastian was using one of his fingers gripping his wrist to trail tiny circles around it. Grell's grip faltered momentarily, before he set his jaw against the light touches, and redoubled his grip on the deathscythe.

Tension built between them, until it was nearly unbearable. For Grell, that is. Sebastian was content to wait for the reaper to make the next move, as he was getting more entertainment out of this than he had originally thought he would.

Grell finally let out a frustrated groan and made an effort to try and shove Sebastian off of him with that hand that didn't hold the deathscythe, "_Please_...I'll get in trouble if anyone finds me like this..." It would just be his luck if William happened to check up on him now and found him pinned down in the grass, upper body entirely exposed, with Sebastian lying on top of him, smirking in amusement. Grell could just imagine the lecture and work that would follow upon discovery.

Sebastian leer became a mocking smile, as he seemed to have sensed Grell's thoughts. Sebastian lifted his head a bit to allow his free hand to reach up and brush through the red head's hair, before it went to trail down the arm that didn't hold the deathscythe. The dark haired demon exchanged glances with the reaper, and then queried, "Again I ask...you don't really care about consequences, do you?" He leaned in closer to Grell's throat, lips brushing teasingly against the skin, "You just don't like the fact that you weren't in the mood for trying to seduce me because of those potential consequences, isn't that so?" Sebastian hesitated for a moment, before he began to trail light kisses up and down the side of Grell's throat, his smile widening ever so slightly as he heard Grell try to hold back a any kind of reaction. It was pathetically easy to get the reaper to respond.

Grell almost lost his grip on the deathscythe at the thought of Sebastian kissing him, even if it was just his throat. What Sebastian was doing to him was torture in the red headed reaper's mind, but he found that it was almost enjoyable. Yet...Sebastian was still teasing him. The kisses were becoming less gentle, and Grell finally made a frustrated, incensed sound when Sebastian nipped him roughly and nearly drew blood. That was it. Grell didn't think that a demon would have the capacity to be such a damn tease. Letting go of the deathscythe but leaving it within reach, Grell stretched out with both hands and forcibly pulled the demon away from his throat. Before Sebastian could respond to the touch, Grell drew him down into a rough, heated kiss. If Sebastian was toying with him, Grell at least wanted a kiss out of it. He was probably going to get into trouble anyway, whether William found him like this or not. The thought of injuring Sebastian with his deathscythe had vanished with the prospect of Sebastian actually giving him some intimate attention. Or whatever the hell it was that Sebastian was planning. Grell was at a loss for what was going through the demon's mind, and had decided to stop trying to figure it out.

Sebastian was, to some degree, surprised that Grell had actually managed to do something about the teasing. The demonic butler had hoped to merely drive Grell crazy to get the reaper to slip up and answer his question, and then Sebastian would be able to make himself scarce. Sebastian was drawn out of his thoughts as Grell sneakily slid his tongue across his closed lips, and the demon sighed at the action. Which wasn't the best idea, as Grell took that as an invitation to invade Sebastian's mouth with his tongue. Sebastian's brow furrowed at the bold move, as he had been under the impression with the appearance of the deathscythe that Grell had planned on trying to escape. The arms wrapping around his neck told him otherwise, as Grell took the demon's stillness as a sign to go ahead and ravish the inside of his mouth for as long as possible.

Despite the unexpected move from Grell, Sebastian quickly dominated the kiss, while miraculously managing to avoid getting his tongue cut by the others' razor sharp teeth. Sebastian freed his neck from Grell's very tight grasp, and broke away from the kiss for breath. Grell was panting slightly from the incredibly hot kiss, and was wearing a content expression, as if he were quite happy that he hadn't attacked Sebastian right away. On the other hand, Sebastian was wearing a faintly exasperated look. Well...damn. He hadn't meant for Grell to actually get a kiss from him, and certainly not a tongue laced one at that. Sebastian shuddered inwardly. Disgusting, now that he thought about it, but...Sebastian eyed the reaper looking up at him. Perhaps he could still torment Grell a bit longer, despite the unwanted kiss.

With a teasing little smile that showed he knew he had caught Sebastian off guard again, Grell spoke, "I'm still not telling you anything~." Grell lost his smile, and his expression became a tad concerned when Sebastian merely smiled in response and dipped his head down toward the redhead's chest, "For now, maybe, but I'll soon change your mind."

Grell was about to ask what he meant, when he felt the demon's tongue dart across his chest from side to side. Grell let out a whine, wanting to say something, but lost the thought when Sebastian started to bite. Grell instead tried to keep himself from crying out. Again, Sebastian had stunned him by doing something unforeseen...though it was quite enjoyable...despite the roughness. Grell lifted his head up slightly to cast a look at his deathscythe, considering, before he merely let his head drop back down to the ground. It was within reach if he needed it, and right now, if Sebastian were going to continue this, Grell didn't want to go anywhere, or do anything to make it stop.

Sebastian noticed Grell's hand twitch near the deathscythe, but when the reaper didn't pick it up, Sebastian turned his attention back to what he was doing. He had almost hoped the shinigami would have started a fight, but was obviously too turned on to be thinking straight. Dismissing the thought, Sebastian worked his way up Grell's taut stomach, drawing forth shivers with every lick and caress of fingers. The demonic butler turned his attention back to Grell's throat, using his hands to further tease Grell's chest and stomach, before he leaned up to draw the red headed reaper into another intense kiss. He felt Grell murmur happily (if not a little confused) against his lips, and Sebastian smirked in response, and slipped in some tongue before the reaper could even think of doing so.

Since Sebastian had started this, he might as well finish it too, and drive the reaper out of his mind while he was at it. That way, perhaps he could muddle the red head's mind enough that he wouldn't remember much of this encounter. During the kiss, Sebastian felt Grell start to fumble desperately with the buttons of his tailcoat and vest, and decided to allow the redhead to do so for a little while. He had initiated the encounter after all. He should let Grell do a little something...Sebastian soon broke the kiss and looked down at Grell expectantly, using his hands to pin Grell's down, and halt his hands from exploring. "Feel like answering my question yet?" Sebastian wanted his question answered before thinking about possibly continuing. His voice was a little more lustful than he would have liked, and it bothered Sebastian to no end that he was doing anything at all with this reaper.

Grell regained his breath after a few shuddering attempts to get it under control. William was sure to be able to tell something had happened, given his disheveled appearance, and the fact that Grell would more than likely spill the beans about the 'hot, steamy and passionate' kiss he had shared with Sebastian. Avoiding eye contact for the time being, Grell decided to tell the demon what he wanted to hear. "...If I saw you again, I was told that I would be given extra paperwork for a few decades, have to work double shift for up to five years and any overtime I work will be without pay." William would have no problem finding work for him to do to prevent him from seeing Sebastian. Especially if the dark haired reaper were to get any indication that Grell had made out with the demon.

Sebastian traced a gloved finger along Grell's jawline, "Is that all?" He doubted any of that would truly stop Grell from flirting ceaselessly with him like he normally did.

Grell let out a sigh as he felt Sebastian lean forward and nip at his earlobe through his hair, "N..No..." Grell managed to reply.

"What else then?"

"...Sebastian."

The deviation from the nickname Grell had decided to give to him caused Sebastian to lean back and look down at the shinigami with a perplexed look. The tone had sounded a little...off.

Grell remained looking away from Sebastian, "...William said that he'd confiscate my deathscythe again and find another division to transfer me to, and potentially fire me if I tell you something that would lead you to stealing a fair amount of souls..." Grell locked eyes with Sebastian all of a sudden, a strange smile crossing his lips, "You better have a good excuse for potentially getting me into trouble."

"I highly doubt that is much trouble for a reaper. A few decades is nothing to you, after all. Besides, isn't your superior always going on about being short staffed? I doubt he would have you fired, for any reason." Sebastian brought himself face to face with Grell, "Just so you know, I wanted a toy to play with. I've wanted to get some...exercise, but humans don't have enough stamina to keep up, and it is therefore boring." Sebastian nudged a knee between Grell's legs, drawing forth a sound somewhere between a gasp and a moan. Sebastian tilted his head curiously, "I assume reapers have greater stamina than a human?"

"E..Eh?" Grell instantly became wary, especially because Sebastian's eyes were nearly smoldering with what looked like an intense hunger. Though the smooth, lusty tone Sebastian had said his words in had been incredibly arousing. "Exercise?" The rest of the question sunk in, and Grell nearly rolled his eyes that Sebastian even had to ask, "Please, reapers are much hardier than any human. We don't tire as easily as a mortal would." Anything else Grell might have said was silenced, as Sebastian's hands moved from pinning his arms, and started to travel down his sides. Grell's eyes widened a bit as he let out a little yelp of shock. Grell shuddered slightly as he felt one of Sebastian's hands unbuckle his belt, while the other hand slid down his pants, to rest against a hip, rubbing teasingly in circles.

Sebastian smiled faintly as he spoke in a low tone, "Physical activity with another...is an excellent form of exercise."

Grell flushed deeply, and again wondered what was wrong with Sebastian, as with the way this was going, the red head was positive that he was going to be losing the rest of his clothing shortly,"S..Sebas...er...I mean, I thought...you didn't like me?"

"I don't. I'm just bored." Sebastian responded bluntly. He wasn't going to hide that fact. He meant it when he wanted to play, and Grell just happened to be the closest thing around to play with.

Grell instantly became angry at the demon's admission, as he had had a suspicion about that all along, and was about to reach for his deathscythe, when Sebastian closed the distance between them and stole another kiss. Grell dimly felt a hand tugging at his pants, and another hand tugging at the hand reaching for the deathscythe. Moaning softly into the kiss, Grell reached up and wrapped his arms tightly around Sebastian's neck to keep the kiss going, now worried that he was in a dream. There was no way this was Sebastian. It had to be some kind of trick. If Sebastian detested him as much as he said, there was no way he would willingly be doing this. Grell's deathscythe lay forgotten on the ground nearby, as the reaper focused his attention on the demon.

Sebastian, meanwhile, was in the process of removing Grell's pants all the way when he froze. Yet again he had been interrupted. Sebastian wore a faint scowl as he broke the kiss. Sighing, Sebastian reluctantly untangled himself from the redhead's embrace and stood up, flicking his gaze down at Grell, who was panting lightly from excitement, but now glowering at the sudden halt in activity. Sebastian was relieved by the interruption, but disappointed that he couldn't torment the reaper further. Perhaps anther time, if Grell was foolish enough to let his guard down again.

"What is it?" Grell was confused. Hadn't Sebastian had something in mind, like screwing him into the grassy ground...? Grell glanced down at his legs. Yes, his pants were off, meaning the demon had had _that_ in mind. Grell's blush increased in its intensity. He had been so focused on the kiss that he hadn't completely realized what Sebastian was up to? Grell stared at Sebastian. Why had he stopped so suddenly? Though now that Grell's mind was coming back online, now would have been a perfect time to make a break for it.

Sebastian gave Grell the briefest of glances, before turning and walking in the direction of the mansion, "The young master is calling for me." It was one of the few times Sebastian appreciated the contract, because it meant he had to go appear before Ciel before too long.

Grell made an incensed sound, but the accusation he had been about to throw at Sebastian died away when the demon looked over his shoulder at him with an intense, calculating expression.

"If you're still interested in my...proposition, then you will wait here while I go and see why I've been summoned." Sebastian turned away again and vanished amongst the trees, taking Grell's light sigh of dissatisfaction as an agreement. As Sebastian entered the manor, he wondered why the hell he had offered to keep going, as this would have been the perfect opportunity to get away from the damned reaper. Sebastian gave his pants a brief, affronted look. Really, he was a demon, and even in human form he should have better control over his body after all the years he'd been around. Sebastian took the slightly longer way around to where his young master was calling him from.

Tormenting the reaper in such a manner should have had no effect on him.

Very curious.

X-x

Grell closed his eyes after he had watched Sebastian disappear into the mansion. He wondered if he fell asleep, if he would wake up and find that none of this had happened. It would be upsetting, but it would make a lot more sense to him. Grell didn't think Sebastian would ever consider doing anything of a sexual nature with him. Sebastian had said he was merely playing with him, so there were obviously no romantic feelings to be had. Grell considered leaving just because of that, but stayed put, feeling almost ashamed that he wanted to be with Sebastian even if the demon was only amusing himself and using him.

Grell couldn't take the suspense, and decided that sleep did sound like a good idea after all.

X-x

Sebastian left the mansion secretly, after seeing to what his master wanted of him (warm milk and honey, before promptly dropping back to sleep). Sebastian assumed that, based on the fact that Ciel's temperature had gone away, that he was likely to be all right by tomorrow morning. Sebastian headed into the surrounding woods, as he had sensed that Grell had stayed where he had been left.

Sebastian smiled as he drew nearer; Grell sprawled out on the ground where he had fallen earlier. Sebastian stood alongside the shinigami, and stared down at him, somewhat intrigued that Grell appeared to be sleeping. It was hard to say whether the reaper was breathing or not, and Sebastian allowed himself another brief smile. He had thought that the red headed reaper would have remained alert, surely having figured out his...eventual plan of what he was going to do. Grell would be stupid to not realize what he had planned, especially with the loss of clothing.

Sebastian loomed over Grell, wearing a smirk now as he began to remove his own clothing. While the shinigami annoyed him to no end, he was turning out to be a rather fun diversion when he had nothing else to do.

Grell woke up abruptly when a weight suddenly descended onto him, though Grell didn't have much time to piece together what was going on because his chin was seized and he was forced into a rougher kiss than before. Nor did he realize that Sebastian was smiling into the kiss and appeared to have something in mind that Grell might not necessarily enjoy.

Clink.

Kiss broken, Grell realized that Sebastian had used the kiss as an opportunity to handcuff his arms behind his back. Grell's attention was driven from his tethered arms, to lock gazes with the faintly smiling demon. Before he could ask what the other was doing, the world went dark. Sebastian had blindfolded him.

"Sebas...? What are you...?"

"Quiet." Sebastian wondered whether or not Grell had the capacity to keep silent. The demon smirked faintly. If not, he had other ideas of how to keep the redhead quiet. Though he decided to stick with the gag, for now.

"Sebas...mpff!" Grell's heart began to race when he was gagged, though he was currently wrestling with either being scared that he couldn't do anything, or being incredibly turned on with what Sebastian was doing.

"Hmm..." Bringing the gag along had been useful after all, Sebastian mused. He didn't want the mansion occupants waking up and coming to see why there were loud noises issuing from the mansion grounds. Sebastian turned his attention back to Grell, who was making uncomfortable sounds and shifting around nervously. "Well then, shall we? I do have a schedule to keep tomorrow."

Grell winced, wondering vaguely what would happen if he were caught out in the open like this by William. Would he attack or leave? Grell flinched again, deciding not to think about it and instead wondering why Sebastian had blindfolded him. Gagging he understood. The red head knew that he could be loud if he wanted to...

"..."

"...!"

Sebastian wondered if the gag would be enough. Grell was quite a bit louder than expected...

X-x

The next day...

Ciel Phantomhive woke up that morning, feeling much better than he had for the past two days. Chasing after petty criminals on a cold, rainy day while not under the Queen's orders had certainly not been one of his better ideas.

"Good morning, young master. It seems as if you are over your cold."

Ciel cast a disinterested look in his butler's direction, and automatically took the cup of tea offered, "I suppose I am." Ciel sipped the tea, his eye following Sebastian's progress around his room. Ciel noticed that Sebastian was going about his duties with a bit more enthusiasm than usual, and was currently debating whether or not to ask him why that was. It seemed like Sebastian was pleased with himself for some reason. Ciel shook his head, and focused on his breakfast. He probably didn't want to know why.

Ciel twitched a silver tray smoothly came into view beneath his nose. Ciel gave Sebastian a bit of a look, but Sebastian merely smiled in return.

"It seems you got over your cold at the right moment, young master."

Ciel set aside his cup of tea and lifted the letter up off of the tray, and glanced at the seal, "From the Queen?"

Sebastian waited patiently as Ciel opened the letter and scanned the contents. He was a bit amused when Ciel's brow furrowed, as if he didn't quite follow what was being said in the letter. The minutes passed by in silence, until Sebastian prompted softly, "Young master?"

Ciel dropped his gaze from the letter and looked up at his butler, "It's merely informing me to keep alert for anything unusual occurring outside of London. When more information is known, I will be contacted with the details by way of one of the Queen's butlers." Ciel leaned on the desk and sighed, looking displeased, "It's likely to be Earl Grey." Ciel slid a glance at Sebastian again, "I don't think we'll have to worry about anything like the time before, but as he was the one to supposedly kill you…"

Sebastian smiled pleasantly, "If nothing else, it'll give him something to think about. Perhaps it will make him doubt his skill as a swordsman."

"You were struck on the back of the head, weren't you? That would kill most people. Being stabbed in the chest would often be enough, for that matter." Seeing the infuriating little smile aimed his way, Ciel decided to drop that train of thought then and there, and chose to glance at the letter again, "From the sound of things, we'll likely be paid a visit any day now, so I'd like to have my meetings that were to take place in London arranged to be here instead, for the time being." Ciel looked up at his butler, "Go take care of that now, Sebastian."

Sebastian placed a hand to his chest and gave a little bow, "Yes, my lord."

Ciel watched Sebastian leave his bedroom, and again wondered what in the world could have gotten Sebastian to be in such a good mood. He normally would have teased him a little more than that.

Odd, but not too odd for Ciel to be bothered with trying to figure it out. Sebastian was mysterious enough as it was. Ciel reached for his tea, instead turning his thoughts to what could possibly be raising the Queen's concern. As far as he was concerned, nothing disastrous had happened as of late.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

As I revised this chapter, I tried to keep it from going too OOC, so hopefully it isn't other than the pairing itself. Though by the end of the Sebastian/Grell encounter it might have been a bit ooc. Still decided not to write a lemon. I only appear capable of writing make out scenes.

And what's this, a plot point ? Well, more of an inkling to one. I moved the tail end of this chapter to be the beginning of the third one.


	3. Chapter 3

Grell returned early in the morning to headquarters, thinking that he would be able sneak into his office and get caught up on paperwork. William wouldn't know when the paperwork had been completed, and if Grell was able to get him to believe that he had come in earlier than he was now, the red head might be able to avoid having to say what he had been up to the previous night. After all, Grell ignoring orders to return at a certain time were often ignored and he would come in late to work despite said specific order. Grell ran a hand through his hair nervously as he opened the double doors and entered the building.

Grell closed the doors behind him soundlessly, and took a quick look around the immediate area, to see if anyone else had come in early. There wasn't anyone in view, for the moment, but Grell could sense the presence of other reapers, and despite his troubles, Grell managed a smile. Perhaps it was some stragglers (like himself) trying to catch up on paperwork and anything else work related that hadn't been finished yesterday. Probably trying to avoid any potential overtime, by coming in last minute before William began prowling about to make sure everyone was on track and not slacking. Grell's lips quirked briefly, before he realized that his clothing and hair were an absolute mess.

Grell let out a disparaging sound of disgust at the fact that his hair was a tangled mess. Did that demon have any idea how long it took him to get it looking so silky? Grell checked his clothes, and frowned in displeasure. There were grass stains here and there on his pants, and his buttons on the vest and white dress shirt were buttoned in the wrong places. Some of the buttons were even missing! Grell closed his eyes briefly. This wasn't going to be easy to hide the fact that something had happened. Grell reopened his eyes and engaged in a futile struggle to straighten his clothing and hide the bite marks that were all over his throat. There was no way William wasn't going to notice, as that man seemed to notice even the tiniest of details. Grell stopped the hopeless battle, and resolved to get to his paperwork immediately. It was the only way to avoid a whole lot of overtime and what was sure to be a very long lecture. Grell made it a few steps in the direction of a staircase when a cheery voice rang out behind him and stopped him in his tracks.

"Damn, Mr. Sutcliff. Did you have fun yesterday?" Ronald Knox had entered the building right after Grell, though he hadn't been as quiet when closing the doors. Ronald strolled over to where Grell was, and gave his senior a knowing grin as he cast an eye over the other reaper's appearance. Ronald gave Grell a bemused look, "Finally got a little demon action, huh? You do realize we can sense a demonic aura from quite a fair distance, don't you?" Ronald saw the slowly dawning horror on Grell's face, and was frankly surprised that Grell hadn't realized this sooner, "Mr. Spears is going to put the screws on you if he finds you looking like this when he thought he sensed a certain demon instead, don't you think?" Ronald was silent for a moment, and then asked curiously, "You didn't actually have sex with him, did you?"

Grell pointedly ignored Ronald's question in favor of casting another glance around, as if William were going to descend upon him at that very moment. Grell gave a nervous laugh, running a hand through his hair nervously again, "I could make a run for it and hope I could lock myself in my office, but I'm rather sore, so I doubt it." Grell looked at Ronald, "How far away were you when you sensed the demonic aura?"

The sore comment more or less answered his question, and made Ronald pointedly think of anything else. Ronald scuffed the ground in thought as he brought his hands to rest behind his neck, "Well, I'd say a good mile. Maybe a mile and a half." Ronald offered a thin smile, "You could still try running, but if you do, Mr. Spears might take it as an admission of guilt if he catches you racing about headquarters, giving off a faint demonic aura."

The color drained from Grell's face and he suddenly lurched forward and latched onto one of Ronald's arms, much to the exasperation of the younger reaper. Grell ignored this as he spoke, "Do you think groveling would help?" Grell didn't think he would be able to outrun William at the moment, so throwing himself on the ground before the dark haired reaper might alleviate some of the other's ire at sensing a demon and then finding the red head as the source of said sense.

Ronald gave Grell a quizzical look out of the corner of his eyes, "It would help Mr. Spears to stamp down on or kick your head." Grell obviously wasn't thinking very clearly, but then Ronald supposed he never did think all that clearly when he was around William. Or Sebastian, for that matter.

Grell frowned at Ronald, as this obviously wasn't the response he wanted, "Not helping Ronald." Grell fell abruptly silent as he sensed a presence headed right for them, and Grell tightened his grasp around Ronald's arm, making the younger reaper flinch at the movement. Grell whispered, "Do you think there's any way to…"

"Any way to _what_, Mr. Sutcliff?"

Grell cringed at the sharp, clipped tone, and let go of Ronald's arm reluctantly to face an irate William approaching him. Grell couldn't help but admire how sexy Will was when he was angry, but shook the thought from his mind, for now, and was on a wary lookout for potential bodily harm to be dealt to him.

William halted before Grell and Ronald, and with a slight tilt of his head, glanced at the younger shinigami, "Mr. Know, I believe you are to head out on soul collections today?"

"Ah, yes sir." Ronald shot Grell a sympathetic look, before hurrying away. Even he could tell that William was close to flipping his lid, and for good reason. It wasn't the best thing to find one of your workers giving off a demonic aura.

The dark-haired shinigami took one look at Grell's appearance, and the disgusted look that appeared on his face said it all, "Did you get into a fight with that _demon_, or did you manage to latch onto the beast until he was able to remove you by force?"

"Will, I can explain…" Grell didn't get to explain anything for the moment as William all but dragged the red head by his hair to his office, practically radiating hostility. Grell stumbled as William let go of him, and the office door slamming shut made Grell hold perfectly still. William never slammed his door, no matter how irritated he may become. Grell winced as William shoved him against the nearest wall, and that surprised him as well.

"How many times have I told you to stay away from that creature? I hope for your sake that you didn't tell that noxious beast the whereabouts of any soul collections in the area."

"Of course I didn't say anything like that to him. Sebas-chan didn't even ask about that…" Grell trailed off at the look that had appeared on the other's face, and the red head pressed his back against the wall, prepared to endure a very long, angry lecture from one obviously livid William T. Spears.

As William began scolding in earnest, Grell was wondering vaguely whether Sebastian had just used him, or if he might have felt something for him the night before. The redhead decided that, given William's reaction, he should wait quite some time before going to ask Sebastian which assumption was true. Grell wasn't sure what William would do if he went to see Sebastian after obviously being intimate with the 'demon.' Not that William appeared to have made the connection. Not yet, anyway.

"Are you listening to me, Sutcliff?"

Grell flinched at the harshness in William's voice. Yes, Grell was definitely going to have to wait before going to talk to Sebastian. William sounded more serious than usual, and that usually meant a load of overtime, and there was nothing the red headed reaper could do to avoid it.

The only constellation was that by the end of the lecture, Grell would be allowed to keep his deathscythe, though his freedom to go about London and the surrounding area was severely restricted.

X-x

Back at the Phantomhive mansion, the next week went by, mundane as ever.

Sebastian was currently taking stock of a partially destroyed kitchen, and a coughing Bard, who was sprawled out in a corner of said kitchen. Sebastian couldn't help but sigh at the sight, "I believe I have said before that a flamethrower is not an acceptable tool to be using in the kitchen. Are you trying to make the food inedible?"

Bard groaned as he sat up, spitting out a burnt down cigarette as he ran a hand through sooty hair, "Ah, you don't appreciate my cookn', that's all. It woulda been fine if I'd toned it down a bit." Bard fell silent at the sight of an eerily smiling Sebastian in the doorway, "Ah, well, I only tried preparin' lunch. The ingredients for dinner haven't been cooked yet." Bard kept to the ground as he watched Sebastian whip up a small lunch in the span of a few minutes, and headed for the kitchen door laden with the tray. Bard was about to let out a sigh of relief when Sebastian's voice cut like a whip.

"Make this kitchen presentable by dinner. And no 'artful' cooking is to be done tonight. Understood?"

Despite being unable to see Sebastian, Bard let out a low sigh, "Yeah, yeah, I got it."

Sebastian left with lunch for Ciel in tow, highly doubting that the kitchen would be in working order by that evening. Yet another thing for him to see to, along with the other ordinary tasks that appeared to be incapable of being completed by the other servants without some disaster occurring. Sebastian knocked on the door of Ciel's office, before entering the room and placing the tray on a nearby table.

Ciel glanced up from the desk that was littered with papers, "Is it lunchtime already?"

Sebastian offered a thin smile, "It's a tad early, but seeing as Mr. Bard has made a mess of the kitchen, I had little to work with."

Ciel set aside a letter he had been perusing with a shake of his head, "At least it hadn't happened for a few months."

Sebastian was about to respond that it didn't matter how often it happened, because it meant that he would have to clean it, when a cheerful voice rang out from the entry way to the office.

"I say the kitchen is an awful mess this time around. It's too bad, I am a little peckish, but I guess I'll have to wait until I get back to eat."

Sebastian turned around smoothly and offered a bow to one of the Queen's butlers, "Good afternoon, Early Grey. I do apologize for the state the kitchen is in. It was an unfortunate accident caused by the resident cook."

Earl Grey frowned, "The chap that smokes? He was pretty good with that knife the last time I was here delivering a letter, but I was faster. I think I would have had him if we hadn't been interrupted." The white haired male paused, a perplexed look crossing his face as he eyed the smiling butler before him, "Oh? I could have sworn you were dead on that rainy night."

"My death has been exaggerated. I was merely in a state of death, being so injured. The wounds looked worse than they really were. My vitals were missed in any case. Whoever my assailant had been is quite skillful."

"Hm, I suppose, though if they had been as skillful as you think, you wouldn't still be breathing. Maybe it was too dark to see properly." Earl Grey mused, hand loosely resting on his blades' hit and giving Sebastian a hard stare.

Ciel quickly interceded, "Earl Grey, I assume you're here because of the incident I was informed about around three months ago? Is there further information to go on?"

Earl Grey perked up at that, "Oh yes, there have been developments. It's still a bit sketchy, so we'll still be gathering information." Earl Grey strode forward and deposited an envelope on the desk, "That letter contains everything we know of so far, and further letters will be sent if any more intelligence is gathered." Earl Grey headed for the door, "And if you learn anything, please let the Yard know. I can get information from them if need be." With a little wave, Earl Grey headed out.

Ciel eyed the envelope, before opening it and scanning the letter. When he finished he let out an amused snort, "Sketchy information indeed."

"Young master?"

Ciel glanced over at Sebastian, "It appears as though there are three villages, and a hospital that are the focus of what the Queen is concerned about. It seems as if all three villages have seen a drop in population, and there is no apparent cause of death. The same goes for the hospital, though with all the wounded, dying or infirm in the hospital, it isn't nearly as concerning as the three villages whose more healthy inhabitants have dropped dead for no apparent reason." Ciel held the letter out to his butler, "Look into it and see if you can find out the actual cause of death for these people. Come and inform me of any findings at regular intervals."

Sebastian bowed, "I'll let you know what I find shortly, sir."

"Nnn." Ciel wondered how he was supposed to avoid contacting the Undertaker now. While Ciel was still thinking of turning Undertaker in for what he had done on the _Campania_, he and Undertaker had come to an uneasy truce not long after that incident, when Sebastian had been out of earshot. If Ciel would keep mum about where Undertaker had set up a new shop, Undertaker was still willing to provide information to cases, free of charge. The catch was that Ciel would have to go visit Undertaker by himself, to keep the reapers and Sebastian from finding out where he was.

And this case was starting to sound like something a shinigami should be investigating, especially the hospital occupants dropping dead. Ciel watched Sebastian leave, and wondered how long he should delay the meeting with Undertaker. He supposed he should wait and see what Sebastian found out, before he made a decision.

X-x

Grell was at a loss of what to do. Well, he knew what he wanted to do, but couldn't bring himself to go do it just yet. Grell stood in his office quietly, staring off into space as he thought about whether or not to go through with a plan he had come up with that morning. Grell's gaze went up to the ceiling, still rather surprised that William had actually allowed him to be all alone in the office without any supervision for a few hours at a time. It had only been three weeks since William had stopped checking up on him every two hours, to make sure that he was doing his work and not gallivanting off to go see Sebastian. A week ago, William had only been checking up on Grell a few times a day, and just yesterday, William had told him that he could be alone in his office for a few hours the next day, to catch up on paperwork that had been piling up.

Grell looked at said paperwork on his desk, and felt slightly guilty to know that he had let so much work pile up over the past few weeks. William hadn't noticed at first, but Grell knew the dark-haired man would realize that he wasn't doing much work. It was such boring paperwork this time around. Sometimes it could be interesting to see the way a human had died, but lately, no one in the office had yet come up with an explanation for why some of the humans on the to-die list would suddenly die ahead of schedule. It sounded like headquarters was still waiting for a few shinigami that went to investigate to return with their findings. It had been two months since those reapers had been sent out, and no one could say where they had gotten to. No one was overly concerned yet, as sometimes investigations into the odd movement of souls could take months.

Grell looked away from the desk, putting that out of his mind for now. After all, Grell knew that he had only a few hours free of supervision, and he wanted to use that freedom to go see Sebastian. Grell let out a slight sigh. He knew that if William found out what he was up to, that he wouldn't be going anywhere for a long time without someone accompanying him or keeping an eye on him. That was why Grell hoped he could make it back to headquarters without William realizing that he had left at all.

Grell shook his head, and headed for the office door, opening it slowly, cautiously. He wouldn't put it past William to either be there guarding the door to check up on him or for him to have someone (like Ronald) nearby to keep tabs on him. Grell poked his head out, looking first to the left, then the right. Grell relaxed visibly. Good, the coast was clear. Grell slid out of the office, and closed the door as quietly as was possible. Making sure that none of the late night staff saw him, Grell made his way quickly down the hall and out the door.

_'Sorry...William.' _Grell really did feel bad about not using the time the dark-haired reaper had given him to catch up on paperwork, but Grell really wanted and needed to go see Sebastian. He hadn't seen the demon for three months since _that_ night. Grell still blushed a little at the memory of it, before shaking his head again. No, he didn't want to think about it, not until he knew Sebastian's motives. If the demon had actually felt something for him, anything at all, Grell would be very happy. However, since he had time to think since the incident had occurred, Grell had the unfortunate inkling that he was going to be disappointed with what Sebastian had to say for himself.

Grell started, realizing that he was in London now. After casting a quick look about, Grell set off in the direction of the Phantomhive mansion. Grell started to smile thinly. If it turned out that Sebastian had just been using and toying with him, well...using his deathscyhte, he'd make sure the demon would pay if that were indeed the case.

-x

The information gathering had taken him quite a bit longer than he had thought. Sebastian took nearly a day, which horrified the demon, as he had had to take breaks in his investigation to see to his master's needs. He could tell that the child was quite gleeful at the fact that he hadn't learned anything straight off. After being a little rougher in drying the earl off with a towel after a bath, Sebastian smirked as Ciel told him off and ordered him to go back to investigate.

Still smirking, Sebastian headed for the third village, and since it was night, those that remained in the village were fast asleep, or trying to fall asleep, as Sebastian could sense that a few of them couldn't sleep. There was something else that he was sensing, but it was such a small thing that he overlooked it for the time being. Sebastian frowned thoughtfully as he wondered what could cause such a number of deaths, and in a few cases, an almost catatonic state. That was something Sebastian had come upon from a visit to the hospitable. The scent of the hospital, however, caused him to leave the premises sooner than he had anticipated, so he would have to make another trip back. It was unfortunate to have such a keen sense of smell.

Nothing interesting came from the investigation of the village until daybreak.

Sebastian whirled in place, his focus locked onto a house on the edge of the village, his eyes narrowed and slitted. He felt it now. The small thing he had been sensing before. It was the presence of another demon. And the reason he could now sense it was because the demon was preying on a lone human in the house. The demon butler snorted in disgust. The human was dying, so the soul was up for grabs, but still...After Sebastian had stopped carelessly taking any soul in sight, to be confronted by those who still did so made his bile rise. Granted, Sebastian hadn't run into any other demon as of yet with his current master, but he had always been wondering if he would have to deal with the unpleasant company of another of his kind.

Sebastian could tell that the human the demon had cornered was now quite dead, the soul gone from the body. The demon that had done the deed was on the move. Sebastian might have been inclined to let one of his kind slip by with such an act, had it not been so close to where he resided. Sebastian left the village in pursuit of the demon, and found it quite frustrating that the demon was making a direct beeline for the mansion where Ciel was quite unprotected. Sebastian didn't bother to waste his breath on the demon, as it had taken on the disgusting appearance of a human who would be termed a beggar, and was therefore unlikely to have an intelligent conversation with it.

Getting to the garden of the Phantomhive manor, Sebastian was quite appalled, and managed to stop the other demon in its tracks by flinging several pieces of silverware with deadly accuracy. The demon let out a snarl as it was knocked to the ground. Sebastian prevented the badly disguised demon from fleeing by stamping down on its chest. Sebastian leaned over the demon with a dangerous gleam in his eyes, "I hope for your sake you are the only one foolish enough to come in such close proximity to my territory."

The demon let out a laugh, which did not fit the human guise in the least. It sounded like a hissing gurgle, "Don't care. Souls are easy pickings here. Much easier than in places swarmin' with those damned reapers."

Sebastian frowned thoughtfully, "I was under the impression that there were not a lot of them around."

The demon let out another laugh, "London and its surrounding area seems to be the place to be. Not enough reapers to keep up with all the human souls. In other places around the world, the reapers are more on top of things. Makes it harder to form contracts or steal souls from beneath their noses." The demon furrowed its brow at Sebastian, "You actually have a contract, huh? Most demons don't have the patience to wait for the contract to come to an end."

Sebastian offered a thin, dangerous smile, "Well, most demons are impatient. I, however, have found meals to be much more satisfying after a long wait." Sebastian cracked his knuckles, "I don't need younger demons mucking around in my territory and drawing the reapers' attention. They dislike me enough as it is."

The demon wore an amused expression, but said nothing more.

Sebastian had nothing more to say either.

After a brief cleanup in the garden, involving the removal of one very dead demon in human guise, Sebastian hurried back to the manor. He made certain to double and triple check that there wasn't a hint of demonic aura in the area other than his own. He rather doubted such a minor demon would travel alone, so Sebastian was erring on the side of caution and returning before he had completed his investigation to check on his master. Though Sebastian had a fairly good idea what was going on, and thought it very interesting that the reapers hadn't done anything about the mass removal of souls by demons. Sebastian was fairly certain that was what was going on. He could only hope that he could be wrong for once. Sebastian was about to enter the manor, knowing it was about time for breakfast, when something rammed into him from behind. Sebastian nearly reacted violently, as the encounter with the demon had gotten him into an overly protective mode for his young master.

"Waaahh! Mr. Sebastian!"

Sebastian sighed lightly. He would have thought that there wouldn't have been any trouble for at least a few hours more at the manor, and thought it laughable that this normally would have concerned him. However, the idea that other demons might be lurking in the area bothered him infinitely more, "Finny, cease that crying. What is the matter?" Sebastian allowed Finny to lead him to the garden, and though he kept his senses stretched for any hint of other demons, the demonic butler couldn't help but stare at the sight that greeted him blankly.

The black cat that Sebastian went to visit was currently looking miserable. Its hair was sticking out in odd angles, as though the fur had been haphazardly cut. The cat also appeared to be dirty, as though dirt had been dumped onto it. The cat blinked up at Sebastian, "Meow?"

Sebastian saw that, along with the cat, Finny had yet again forgotten about the herbicide, and the grass, along with some plants, was withering. Sebastian fixed his gaze on Finny, who cringed back at the look. The state of the garden wasn't bothering Sebastian nearly as much as the sight of the poor cat.

Finny looked down at the cat, then to Sebastian, waving his hands, "Ah! Mr. Sebastian! I didn't do anything to the kitty! It looked like that before I came here!"

"...But you are responsible for the state the garden is in?" This was asked with a closed-eye smile. Terrorizing the other servants helped to calm himself from the early morning unpleasantness.

"Wahh! I'm soorrry!" Finny didn't appear to notice that the anger Sebastian was showing was merely a front. Compared to the demon in his territory, a withered garden was hardly much concern to the butler at the moment.

Sebastian shook his head and rummaged around in a pocket, before handing Finny some money, "Go get something from the shop, and be quick about it." Getting this over with would allow him to get to his master more quickly.

Finny immediately broke into a beaming smile, and took the money, running off, "Be back~!"

Sebastian watched Finny leave, before he dropped to his knees and scooped up the mewling cat, "Ahh...who could have done this to you? You're all covered in dirt as well." Sebastian glanced around and deducing that Ciel was in his office, and not in mortal danger from another demon. Satisfied for the time being, Sebastian stood up with the cat, and went inside the mansion into the empty bathroom. Sebastian set the cat down in the tub, and removed his gloves, setting them aside.

"Mrow?" The cat started to groom herself, and then hissed when Sebastian poured some water on her.

Sebastian gently washed the dirt out of the fur, and took a pair of scissors and evened out the stuck out fur, "I will find whoever did this to you...I may have an idea of whom...it will be unfortunate for them if it is who I think it is."

"Mew?" The black cat blinked water out of her eyes as Sebastian wrapped her in a towel and dried her.

"Ah~. So cute." Sebastian murmured, as the cat had started to purr. He was still keeping alert for any telltale sign of another demon, yet he couldn't help but indulge himself by all but fawning over the drying cat. It was a pity that he couldn't fully enjoy himself, especially when he noticed, with a bit of agitation, that _that_ reaper had shown up.

Yet another thing to take care of before he could see his master, who was up quite a bit earlier than he had anticipated.

-x

The garden was deserted when Grell came back to see if Sebastian had shown up yet. Grell fingered the ordinary scissors in his pocket. Surely Sebastian would have seen the cat's fur was cut out of place. Grell's hands left his pockets and the red head crossed his arms. It wasn't something he ordinarily would do, but Grell doubted that Sebastian would willingly come out to deal with him unless there was something to make him do so. And since Sebastian was so fond of cats…

Grell's attention was drawn to something on the ground. With a tiny frown of curiosity, Grell crouched down to get a better look at the glittering object. Grell reached down and picked up the tiny object, and after a brief inspection, pocketed it, before going back to looking for Sebastian.

Grell hoped the conversation he wanted to have with the demonic butler wouldn't come to a fight as he glanced around again. Sebastian wasn't anywhere in sight...

"There you go, all clean. I will come see you tomorrow."

"Merow~."

Grell perked up at the sound of Sebastian's voice, and moved in that direction, from where he had heard the demon's voice. Grell wore a disappointed frown when all he saw was a clean and evenly cut haired cat, grooming herself. Grell huffed and put his hands on his hips, glaring down at the feline, "Hmpf, he takes better care of you, doesn't he? Did he even notice the state you were in?"

"Perhaps you would like to explain that, as well as tell me why you are here?"

Grell turned abruptly and launched himself at Sebastian, "Sebas-chan~! Ahh!" Sebastian had side stepped him and seized his hair. Grell grabbed at Sebastian's arm, trying to get him to let go of his precious hair, "Ah...Sebas...let go, I'll talk. Please, stop it!" The hair was let go of, though instead of dropping to the ground like Grell had expected, Sebastian had flung him further into the garden, where he landed heavily on his face and stomach. Momentarily stunned, Grell had started to push himself up, when Sebastian stamped down on his back with a foot.

Sebastian seized Grell's arms and tugged them behind his back, trying them together at the wrists with some string he kept in a pocket when he had time to play with the cat.

Grell's hands twitched against the sudden restraints but he was unable to free himself. Grell rested his head on the ground gingerly, inwardly sighing in relief when Sebastian removed his foot from his back. The demon butler had stepped down rather hard. Grell held still as Sebastian dragged him along by his hair, further still into the garden, out of earshot of the mansion. Grell didn't bother trying to complain again. Sebastian wasn't going to listen to him anyway. But still...why were they going so far into the garden, alone? Grell felt a chill, but attempted to shake it off. He had wanted to see Sebastian, after all. Grell winced as Sebastian used his hair to yank him to his feet, before letting go.

Grell stood on unsteady feet, tugging uselessly at his hands bound behind his back. Grell walked backwards, away from Sebastian, who was approaching him with a glint in his eyes, "S...Sebastian?" Grell let out a surprised yelp as he was thrown to the ground face first again. Grell was about to get back up and say something, but instead slumped down and moaned softly into the grass when he felt Sebastian press up against him teasingly.

"Is _this_ what you came for?" Sebastian questioned softly as he lightly ground his hips against the reaper lying prone on the ground. After the encounter with the demon earlier, Sebastian almost thought to play with the reaper, but regretfully he needed to go and inform his young master of what he had found out.

"N...No...just ahh...question..." Grell managed to breathe, distracted with Sebastian so close and shivering involuntarily at the thought of what the other had just said.

Sebastian pulled back a bit, "You are a bad liar. Answer me, right now and answer my other question as well. I do not have all day."

"The cat?" Grell wondered, then bit back a cry as Sebastian fiddled with his belt buckle, "I...I was only trying to...to get your attention."

Sebastian loomed closer, "Is that so?"

Grell bit his lip lightly and nodded, managing to say, "Mmm, Sebas...last time, why did you...?" The red headed reaper fell silent as Sebastian had suddenly hoisted him over one shoulder. "What are you...?" Grell grit his teeth and shivered a little as Sebastian ran a hand along his inner thigh lightly.

Sebastian turned and headed back for the mansion in silence.

"S...Sebastian?" Grell asked quietly, staying limp and not attempting to struggle. No answer. Oh well, now that he was here, Grell assumed that he would have to wait until Sebastian was done with him before he could leave. Maybe Sebastian would even let him know the answers he wanted to know to his questions. Grell closed his eyes, to wait and see what Sebastian was planning. Grell doubted that he would be leaving any time soon, which translated to William finding out that he was not in his office like he should have been. In the back of his mind, Grell still hoped that Sebastian might have felt something for him. That would make it worth being basically grounded by William, and where he would most likely be confined to a smaller office. Grell vaguely wondered if William would try and chain him to the desk to keep him there...

Sebastian entered the mansion and went up some stairs, opening up a door and dropping Grell onto the bed, "Behave yourself. The young master isn't to know you are here, understand?"

"Sebas-chan..." Grell started to say, but the protest died in his throat as Sebastian had leaned over him, very close.

"You heard me, didn't you? Behave, or else I'll have to make you." Sebastian said in a cool tone with another closed-eyed smile.

Grell looked away, after having felt Sebastian's demonic aura flare up momentarily. The red headed reaper lay on the bed, unmoving, as he waited to see what Sebastian would do next. The demon was still leaning over him very closely.

Sebastian didn't do anything, much to Grell's disappointment, and the demonic aura died down. The other seemed to find amusement in Grell's sudden submission. Sebastian backed away from the bed and the still reaper, "Good. We understand each other then?"

"...yes..." Grell's eyes had taken on a dark look, and he had spoken the word in a rather spiteful way.

Sebastian left the room without another word, and locked the door, walking away down the hall. He'd have to figure out some way to deal with Grell's sudden intrusion. He had a busy day after all, and had no time to be dealing with Grell at the moment. Perhaps later. He would either deal with the reaper himself or get someone else to deal with him.

Sebastian headed for Ciel's office, and knocked on the door before entering the room, "Pardon the intrusion, but I have found a disturbing detail for the case."

Ciel looked up from the chair he was seated in, still looking like he was waking up, as the rumpled nightshirt and messy hair indicated, "What do you mean?"

"As I investigated the third village, I had an unfortunate encounter with one of my kind. It was in the guise of a human beggar, and it fled the scene after taking a soul from the human in a house. I hadn't noticed the presence until it happened." Sebastian hesitated, which was rather uncharacteristic of him, as he added, "I believe a demon of that level is unlikely to travel alone, so it is possible that demons are the culprits."

Ciel blinked blearily up at his butler, before burying his face in both hands and groaning sleepily, "Sebastian, breakfast. I need to be more awake than this, if what you're saying is true."

Sebastian smirked a little at the display, before giving a polite bow, "Very good, sir." He turned and headed for the door, and Ciel barely caught the soft sentence the butler left the room with.

"While I profess that I do not tell lies, perhaps in this instance I will be proven wrong."

That surprised Ciel to hear Sebastian say such a thing. Then, quite suddenly, Ciel began to smile. If Sebastian was concerned about the identity of the culprits behind the case the Queen had asked him to look in to, then it seemed like it would prove to be an interesting game.

One that Ciel looked forward to winning, whether or not the culprits were supernatural beings.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

I don't have the words to express how happy I am that this story finally has a plot. I hope this can keep going for the whole story. Having a concrete plot makes it so much easier to write.

Also, the A/N will now be at the end of the chapters. In addition to that, I think that having a disclaimer on the first chapter is enough, so I'll stop with that so each chapter can just be read from the top without any ramblings from me until the end of the chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

Sebastian brought breakfast to Ciel soon after his dismissal, and by the time Ciel had gotten through his breakfast, he seemed to be a bit more coherent, though still disheveled in his sleeping clothes. In the process of getting Ciel dressed for the day, Sebastian decided that there was little he could do to hide the fact that Grell was there. After all, he needed to take care of that sooner rather than later. As Sebastian buttoned up the coat, he spoke casually, "Mr. Grell stopped by at an inopportune time, so for the time being, I secluded him to a room. Might I take care of that later in the day, once we have more information to go by?"

Ciel looked at Sebastian with a frown, trying to straighten the bow around his neck absently, "When was that?"

Sebastian reached up and straightened the bow automatically, "Only an hour or so ago, young master."

"Well, take care of him this evening. I want to get as much information as I can out of the Yard, though if the culprits are demons, I doubt they'll be of much use."

Sebastian rose, "We are going to London then, sir?"

Ciel stood up and, holding back a yawn, nodded decisively, "Yes, I might as well get that unpleasantness out of the way."

Sebastian followed Ciel out of the bedroom, "It is a pity that Undertaker is no longer an option. As he is a shinigami, it may have been useful to see if he knew anything."

"Yes, a pity." Ciel frowned and glanced over his shoulder at his butler, "What about Grell?"

Sebastian gave an enigmatic shrug, "If the reapers that work in the London area knew anything about demons other than myself in the area, he would have said something. I believe he was merely interested in…trying to gain my company."

Ciel narrowed his eyes, and then decided he didn't want to know. Ciel continued to walk, "Question him in any case, before sending him off this evening. Any information will do, even from someone like him."

X-x

Once Grell had deduced that Sebastian was not coming back any time soon, he decided that it was safe to try and free himself. Grell had turned over on the bed, and started the process of getting his bound hands untied. At least he was in the mansion now. All he had to do was try and get Sebastian's attention again. Though the way the demon was acting, Grell was starting to feel some doubt. It was as the demon wanted to get him out of the area as quickly as was possible, but the way he had acted in the garden…Had Sebastian just been trying to distract him, or had he actually been interested in doing a repeat?

Grell laughed a little, though it was a bitter sound. Of course Sebastian would try and distract him, to get things taken care of smoothly and without delay. After a minute or two more of fiddling, Grell had managed to undo the string that held his wrists tied behind his back. The red headed reaper sat up slowly, stretching, before he perched at the edge of the bed as he thought. Grell remained stationary on the bed for hours on end, silently hoping that Sebastian would come back to see him. When it felt like it was nearing nighttime, Grell was wondering whether or not to be pleased that he had managed to stay at the mansion for so long. Grell glanced around the small room he was locked in and sighed. He had been in there for most of the day, and it was incredibly dull inside. He was trapped in the room, and knew that Sebastian wasn't going to let him out until he felt like it.

Grell frowned unhappily from where he was seated on the bed. It was the only piece of furniture in the room, other than a bedside table. A king-size bed, which made many images go through Grell's mind, and none of them could be done without Sebastian in the room with him. Grell sighed again. It made him wonder if Sebastian was just toying with him at the moment. Grell was very bored. Sebastian wasn't being very hospitable.

Grell slid off the bed finally, and paced about the room for a bit, before he stopped before the small table next to the bed, and peeked curiously in the drawers. Empty, except for what looked like some folded towels and a few trinkets. Trinkets…

Grell dug a hand into his pocket and withdrew the small, glittering item out of his pocket. The red headed reaper held it up before his eyes and twisted it this way and that between three fingers. It was a curious object, about two inches wide and about an inch tall, rounded. The object was a deep crimson color, which had gotten Grell's attention in the first place. Grell inspected it more closely, and found tiny, minute black etches around the perimeter of the item, in what appeared to be a language. Grell didn't recognize it. There were a few marks here and there, and at the center of the rounded object was an ebony stone, with more minute etchings of a language all around the stone, spiraling outward to match with the other marks that were present. Grell flipped it over, and compared to the other side, it was only a smooth surface of the dark crimson color. Grell flipped it back over, closing his hand over it. It fit perfectly in the palm of his hand. It was quite an interesting find. Why would it be lying around in the garden of all places?

Grell opened his palm to look at it more time, and noticed something a little unnerving. The black symbols were glowing, faint gold outlining the black, and the symbols hadn't been doing that before. Grell felt unease wash over him as he stated at the small object in his hand. Was there some kind of magic going on with it?

Footsteps echoed down the hall, stopping directly in front of the door.

Grell thought about pocketing the object, but decided against it. For all he knew, it could have been Sebastian's. But since the demon was being so rude, Grell decided to hide it. That way, if it was Sebastian's, he'd have to ask politely for it, and Grell wasn't sure he would say anything. No voice came along with the footsteps, so Grell quickly pulled the drawer open, and wrapped the object in a small towel, hiding it beneath the other towels and trinkets, in the back of the drawer. Sliding the drawer close as quietly as he could, Grell then straightened out his hair, and walked over to the door, where his visitor still hadn't made their presence known, despite making such obvious footfalls.

Grell decided to speak up when it seemed too quiet, though there was a bit of hesitation in his voice, "Sebastian? Is that you?" A soft sigh of annoyance came in response to his query. Grell smiled, and stayed close to the door, hoping he would be able to catch Sebastian off guard if the demon opened the door. When Sebastian didn't say anything, Grell spoke up again, less hesitation in his voice now, as it took on a playful tone, "You know, Sebas-chan, you're not being very nice. It's not polite to leave a lady all by herself for such a long time." Grell heard Sebastian shift outside the door, but not respond. Grell's smile widened. Was Sebastian feeling uncertain about locking him up? Probably not. He was a demon after all. It had probably amused Sebastian to trap him in a room for hours on end.

Grell ran a hand through his hair absently, trying to figure out how to get Sebastian to either answer him or open up the door. A thought occurred to him, and Grell's smile turned devious. Perhaps he could lure Sebastian by being very suggestive. If nothing else, Sebastian would probably want to come in and stop him from talking. Grell took a cautionary step or two back, just in case Sebastian resorted to violence. Satisfied, Grell started to speak in a light, teasing and playful tone, "Ahh~.Sebas-chan, our time apart only makes me eager to see you once again. You know you want me~. You're just caught up with that brat. Cast him aside and join me. Come, let us make that night months ago reality once more."

Grell paused, hearing a sharp intake of breath this time. Maybe he was getting through to Sebastian after all. Forgetting to stay away from the door, Grell moved up against it, splaying one hand on the door and caressing it as he spoke in what was nearly as a moan, " I want to feel your body against mine, like last time...So strong...so dominating..." Grell slumped against the door, as though he were faint, "I want you to take me again...I want to see those burning eyes..." Grell stopped speaking abruptly and backed away from the door, when he heard the door knob rattle, still locked, and a disgruntled sound. There was a sound of keys flying through the air and being caught. Grell was perplexed by this, but focused on the door being unlocked.

Grell tensed, preparing to throw himself at Sebastian despite the potential injury (most likely directed at his face). The door opened, and Grell sprung, catching Sebastian in a hug. Amazed that he had caught Sebastian off guard, Grell tightened his grasp around his body snugly, and buried his face against Sebastian's chest, "Sebas-chan!" Grell heard keys jangle as they were flung through the air, being caught again.

"You'll take care of _this_ then?"

Wait...wasn't that Sebastian's voice?

Grell tilted his head to the side and saw Sebastian standing nearby. Grell watched Sebastian give him a faint smile of amusement. If it hadn't been Sebastian outside the door, then...

"Grell Sutcliff. You had better have a good explanation for this."

Grell froze. That voice...William? What was he doing in the mansion? Grell became aware that he was still hugging someone...meaning that if it wasn't Sebastian, then it was...Grell swallowed and loosened his grasp enough to tilt his head up and see who he was hugging. Grell looked up at a frowning William T. Spears hesitantly. Aware that he was still loosely hugging the dark-haired shinigami, Grell smiled uncertainly at him, "Hello, Will~. What are you doing here?" When there was no response other than an icy glare, Grell wisely let go of William and backed away.

Once Grell had let go of him, William adjusted his glasses and spoke, "I am here because you have failed to complete any tasks given to you in the past few weeks. Today should have been used to catch up on paperwork. I give you six hours to do this, and how do you spend it?" William cast a sharp look in the smiling demon's direction, before he fixed his gaze on Grell, the red head flinching back, "I should be the one asking you what you are doing here when there is still paperwork on your desk. You should be doing useful things, not declaring your love for that foul demon. We have already had this discussion when you came back the last time, months ago." William paused, then, after thinking about something, added, in a soft voice, "You...really did do _that._..with that, that demon?"

Sebastian let out a snort of laughter at this, before he went silent, knives in his hand as William's deathscythe came to rest against his throat. Sebastian's eyes glowed a little, but he said nothing, as he merely tightened his grasp on the knives.

William looked disgusted at the very idea of engaging in any kind of sexual activity with a demon, "I somehow fail to believe that Grell instigated things, as you demons seem to enjoy tormenting others and stringing them along. To say and do things to lure a person into a sense of false security, to satisfy your own desires."

Sebastian reached up and batted the deathscythe aside. He hadn't wanted to deal with two shinigami, but as soon as he and his young master had returned from London, William T. Spears was in the entryway of the mansion, waiting for them. A highly irate William, who looked displeased he had even needed to step foot in a place where a demon resided. It did, however, fix Sebastian's problem of getting Grell to leave, "Then I tell you once more to keep better track of your employees." It occurred to Sebastian to try and get a little information while he was at it, since he still needed to question Grell, as Ciel had asked him to do. Sebastian lifted his gaze to William's, "I don't suppose you were otherwise occupied by any strange soul movements, were you?" Sebastian leaned back and to the side, stopping the deathscythe that had whipped back to menace him.

William had narrowed his eyes, "Is it your doing?"

Sebastian smiled pleasantly, "I already told you once before that I grew weary of eating everything in sight. No, I merely brought it up because my young master has been asked to look into several cases of otherwise healthy humans dropping dead. I figured you reapers would be investigating that, and it would save my master time if you knew anything useful.

William studied the demon standing before him, before retracting the deathscythe, "I have nothing to say to you in regards to souls, however…" William hesitated, before continuing, "We do indeed have some reapers looking into the matter, but we aren't going to share it with the likes of you." William lifted his deathscythe and straightened his glasses, "A precaution in case you are the one responsible after all."

Sebastian doubted he would gain any further information than that, so he turned and began to walk away, "Then if we are finished here, do take_ that_ with you and leave."

William watched Sebastian disappear around the corner of the hall, before he rounded on Grell, who had looked to be half considering going after Sebastian, "You truly slept with that thing?"

Grell flinched further back at the tone in the other's voice, knowing that he was most certainly in trouble now. He had glossed over what had happened between himself and Sebastian, but that had gotten William angry at him months earlier. If William had known everything that had actually happened at the time, Grell assumed that William wouldn't have allowed him to be out of sight for even a minute. Grell really couldn't think of anything to say to get out of this predicament, and opted to chew his lip lightly and give William a worried look. Seeing that William was going to speak again, Grell tried to figure out how to get out of any punishment. In the meantime, he was rather surprised that William had actually given Sebastian any sort of answer at all. That left his mind when the redhead realized William had begun to scold him, again.

"What do I have to do to get it through your head to _stay away_ from that demon? Giving you extra work doesn't seem to deter you. Even though it would mean more work for me, do I need to keep an eye on you to keep you from chasing after that demon?" William turned his frown on Grell, who appeared to be thinking about something. "Grell Sutcliff?"

Grell vaguely heard William's authoritative voice, but was too focused on trying to find a way out of trouble to respond. Grell did suppose he could apologize and let William supervise him for a time, but was currently feeling embarrassed. The red-haired reaper had said all of those suggestive things to William, instead of Sebastian. The only other option Grell could think of at the moment was to run away and stay in hiding until he deemed it safe to go and face William. Grell knew the dark-haired reaper would be furious with him, but Grell didn't really think he could face another lecture at the moment. Grell suddenly interrupted William by saying, "Sorry," before promptly breaking into a run.

Faint surprise crossed William's face as he watched Grell turn from him and run away. A scowl appeared on his face. He did _not_ just see Grell run away from him. William broke into a brisk jog, wondering what Grell was thinking, and how the red head believed running away would make things better. William already had enough problems as it was, and not only did he have the odd soul disappearances to worry about, he now had to worry about if the demon butler was the one to do it, despite the denial. William exited the mansion, in time to see Grell dash into the wooded area near the mansion. William moved a bit more quickly, as he had just realized it had begun to rain. He really did not need this right now.

William spent over an hour searching for Grell, but the other reaper was masking his presence. It was almost funny how Grell only did that when he wanted to avoid getting into trouble. The rain was coming down more heavily. With a faint sigh of irritation, William decided to head back to headquarters, for the time being. He assumed that Grell would show up sooner or later, more than likely either groveling or turning on the charm, so to speak, to try and get out of trouble. Even if Grell didn't show up right away, he'd have to come back eventually. William shook his head. If the red-haired reaper thought that staying in hiding would help him avoid a lecture, he was sorely mistaken.

William T. Spears could be quite patient when he needed to be.

Grell watched William leave from behind a tree, feeling guilty for making William look around for him in the rain and waste his time chasing him around. Grell leaned against the tree and closed his eyes. He'd go back either tomorrow or the next day. Whether William knew it or not, Grell knew the man worried about him when he didn't show up. Grell pushed away from the tree and began to walk, unsure what to do for the next day or so without being found by an irate William.

Glowing eyes watched the lone shinigami walk away, and the many pairs of eyes followed, blinking out one by one.

-x

Three days later...

Grell scowled up at the rainy sky, as if it were the source of all his problems. He had thought that perhaps wandering about in the vicinity of the Phantomhive mansion grounds would make Sebastian come out, if only to tell him to leave. So focused on his own troubles, Grell almost didn't notice the demonic auras making a direct line for him. There were quite a few, meaning that it wasn't Sebastian that was coming to see him, which was quite a letdown.

"Only one reaper? Bah, that's boring. Is it true that there aren't many around here after all?"

"He's standin' right there, why don't you ask him?"

Grell spun about to face the speakers, and he was greeted by the sight of two demons (in the guise of lower-class male citizens of London) leering at him unpleasantly. Grell offered a thin smile, really not in the mood with what he had been through three days ago. He wasn't going to waste his breath on such unattractive demons. They'd look so much better covered in red. Grell's fist clenched and unclenched by his side, getting ready to materialize his deathscythe. A workout of the bloody variety with demons was sure to put him in a better mood.

Another demon joined the other two, this one a higher class looking male human. He looked Grell over and turned to the other two demons, "Do you think he's got it?"

One of the other males shook his head, "Naw, I was just bored and lookin' for something ta take my frustration out on. Search and retrieve is somethin' humans do, not demons."

"The object fell around here though, didn't it?"

While it was fascinating to Grell to watch demons converse with one another about inane things, it didn't change the fact that he was highly irate, and also looking for someone to take his frustrations out on. The revving of the deathscythe was the only thing the demons present got in warning. That and a widely grinning Grell at the thought of causing blood spatter damage of the demonic kind.

Grell didn't realize that there were more demons than he had initially thought, and that he probably should have just made a run for it instead of instigating a fight.

X-x

William was in his office, working away the hours. He had absolutely no desire to go outside, as both the shinigami realm, and the human world still had rain cascading down in torrents. William had closed the blinds to the window in his office, not wanting to see the sheets of rain coming down and making things seem even more depressing than usual. He could not, however, do anything to stop the sound of the rain beating against the window. William opted to concentrate on his work, and the sound the pen made as he wrote, in an attempt to ignore the elements.

William set aside a stack of completed paperwork to one side, before pulling another pile forward. At least he was getting caught up on work, and might actually clock out at a normal time. William got to work on the first document, reflecting that little had happened the past few days, as nothing had yet come in from the reapers investigating the odd soul movements and early deaths of the humans on the to-die list. William attributed some of the tenseness he was feeling to the fact that Grell was lurking around somewhere in London, worried to come back and face the consequences of running away (among other things). William paused in his work. Speaking of Grell...when was that fool going to decide to show his face? William thought Grell would have come into his office already, and latched onto him in an attempt to beg for leniency and claim that Sebastian made him do things, so he wasn't in his right mind if he did do something.

William scowled faintly. Grell wasn't in his right mind most of the time anyway. When Grell did show up, the red head had better be prepared for a lecture. The dark-haired man already knew what he was going to say. It was only a matter of waiting for Grell to come back before he could actually say it to him. William set his pen down when he heard footsteps approaching his office at what sounded like a run. As the footsteps drew nearer, William realized that it wasn't Grell. This was confirmed when a knock sounded on the door and another office worker peered into the room hesitantly, "Mr. Spears, sir?"

"Yes, what is it?" William noted that the other reaper looked extremely nervous, and William didn't like the way the man kept glancing over his shoulder as if something were going to jump him. William wondered if this had anything to do with Grell. After all, he hadn't been around. Who knows if he was causing mischief while away. It didn't help that William knew that Grell had his deathscythe, and could only hope that Grell didn't do anything stupid. Like start killing off people that weren't meant to die yet. William stared at the other shinigami impatiently.

The man stopped fidgeting at the sight of William's expression, and spoke quickly, "A group of demons were detected a few hours ago, before their presence vanished, indicating that they had left. Damages appear to be little, but we're still accounting for dispatchers." The man jumped out of the way as William had suddenly lurched out of his chair and headed for the door. The office worker hurried after William.

Why hadn't he sensed the demons at all? Apart from the fact that demonic auras didn't normally reach across realms. William didn't really want to ask, but knew it had to be said, "Is there anyone who hasn't reported in yet?"

"Y...Yes, sir. Grell Sutcliff hasn't yet checked in." The reaper stared in surprise as William broke into a run, and then jumped when William called back to him.

"Have someone keep a close watch. Alert me immediately if demons show up again."

"Yes, sir," Was the reply, but William was already out the door before he heard it.

-x

Ciel twitched in his seat, wearing an unhappy pout. Sebastian stood just behind the chair, wearing a pleasant expression, apparently unaware of his master's mounting ire. Not only did Sebastian fail to garner any useful information from William or Grell three days ago, but Ciel now had unexpected guests to distract him from his investigation.

Across from Ciel, lounging on a couch, was Lau, who was giving Ciel a teasing smile as Ranmao blinked from where she was seated on Lau's lap. Entirely shameless, as usual.

Lau tilted his head, still wearing a teasing smile, "Now earl, why the face?"

Ciel twitched again, before glaring at Lau, "I already have said it. You cannot just keep inviting yourself over to my mansion!"

"You would leave us in the rain, to die of cold?" Lau patted Ranmao's head, "That isn't very nice, is it Ranmao?"

Ranmao shook her head, clinging more closely to Lau as she blinked at Ciel.

Ciel took a deep breath as to not lose his temper over such an insignificant manner. It must have been the storm getting on his nerves. Or the fact that the Queen's orders had been more vague than usual. There wasn't much he could do until the perpetrators acted again, or Sebastian somehow learning something new.

"The young master seems to be in a bad mood. Is there something I have not seen that has brought out this temper of yours?"

Or perhaps it was Sebastian patronizing him. Ciel glanced over his shoulder at the demon butler, who was giving him one of his closed eyed smiles. Ciel sighed and looked away, in no mood to deal with Sebastian at the moment, "I'm not angry. It's just the weather." And his butler should know that he was more upset about the fact that the culprits to the case he was investigating could be demons.

Lau cast a glance out the windows at the rain, "Hmm, earl, do you think something dark is afoot?"

Ciel turned his attention back to the other man, "What do you mean?"

"This rain, seemingly endless. Trapping those in their homes, leaving them vulnerable to what lies outside..."

"Like what?" Ciel questioned, feeling uneasy. Did Lau perhaps know something about the case of the three villages outside of London, and the hospital, where the people were ending up dead?

Lau turned to face Ciel again, "You don't know?" Lau sighed, "Well, I suppose we'll have to find someone to ask now, won't we?"

Ciel felt his temper flare a bit, before calming down, "Would you stop talking like you know something when you really don't?" He should have known better. Of course Lau didn't know anything, but perhaps he could at least inform the man. Maybe he would come across some information before the phenomenon happened again to another village. Or even to the people of London.

Sebastian interjected before Lau could respond, "Might I suggest retiring to the lounge to continue your...discussion? Perhaps the weather is the culprit behind any feelings of...unease." Sebastian flashed a smile at Ciel, who had glanced over his shoulder again. Sebastian was quite aware that that was not the case, but enjoyed teasing his young master anyway.

_'Bastard.'_ Ciel thought, before standing, "I agree, let's go. Sebastian, go make me something sweet to eat along with the evening tea."

Sebastian bowed, "Yes, my lord." He vacated the area smoothly, a smile on his face as he heard Ranmao capture Ciel in a hug.

"Hey!"

Lau was laughing, "Ranmao, be nice to the little earl." The man made no move to help Ciel, seeming to be far more entertained by watching what happened instead.

Sebastian paused outside of the room to hear Ciel's response. His master could be quite amusing sometimes. It was a shame that his mind was on other things. Like whether or not more demons were going to make an appearance.

"Enough, let's just retire to the lounge."

Sebastian could quite clearly picture Ciel struggle free from Ranmao's embrace, and he chuckled lowly as he left to go to the kitchen.

Ciel, in the meantime, led the way to the lounge, holding back a sigh. The short walk allowed the earl to gather his thoughts. It was looking more and more likely that he would have to go and see Undertaker after all, and that would cause Ciel problems. It was quite hard to have Sebastian from his side, and the only way Ciel could see getting a few hours' time to himself was to send Sebastian out to gather information. Which wasn't the best idea, but if worse came to worse, Ciel could call Sebastian to his side, and his butler would be there within moments. Another issue was sneaking Undertakers' pendants out without Sebastian noticing. Undertaker had told him that if he ever did need some help, that he would be willing to do so, as long as Ciel came alone, among the other promises made. There was also a stipulation that Ciel return the pendants that had been knocked free from Undertaker on the _Campania_, with no questions asked about the names on the medallions.

Ciel wondered if Undertaker had been hoping for something to happen like this, where Ciel would have to go ask for his assistance. Ciel entered the room and sat down on a chair, glancing out the window. He had the sneaking suspicion that Undertaker wasn't asking for a 'laugh' because he was getting one for all the trouble Ciel was going to have to go through to ditch Sebastian in order to go see him.

"Why, earl, you look as if you're quite unhappy still."

Ciel fixed Lau with an irritated look, before he sighed, "As soon as Sebastian returns, I'll inform you of what is going on."

X-x

Sebastian paused and glanced out of a hall window into the storm raging outside. A flash of lightning lit the sky, and Sebastian froze, feeling the very faint flare of demonic auras, before it was gone. A faint scowl appeared on Sebastian's face, and he continued on his way to the kitchen, speaking softly, "Hmm, it seems like I was right. Pity. It seems there are some unwanted guests I will have to deal with at some point." If Ciel continued to look into matters on the Queen's orders, he was likely to come into contact with those demons at some point during the investigation. Which meant that Sebastian would have to keep an eye on his young master at all times, and not wander during the night like he was normally inclined to do.

Sebastian vanished among the shadows of the hall, reflecting on ways to deal with the potential of a demonic threat so close to his master.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Not much has changed in this chapter. Just a little bit here and there, though the short demon conversation was added.

And Sebastian senses the demons at the same time as the shinigami, it is just that the scene with Sebastian came after the one with the reapers.


	5. Chapter 5

Ronald Knox spotted William running down some stairs, and jumped down from where he had perched beneath an awning to avoid being rained on. Jogging a bit, Ronald caught up to William, and ran alongside the dark-haired man, "Sir, did you hear that there were demons spotted?" No answer. Ronald frowned a little, "The demons supposedly left, so where are you going? Did something else happen?"

"...Grell Sutcliff didn't check in." More than likely, William assumed, because the red-head hadn't wanted to be scolded about seeing Sebastian again. Not coming in to work, however, for three days in a row wasn't something Grell would do, even with a lecture waiting for him when he came back.

Ronald stopped running for a moment, before catching up to William again, "So you're going to go look for him? Do you want someone to go along with you?"

"No, I'll go on my own. Stay here until we hear word that the demons have truly left." William left Ronald Knox behind as he went to the human world.

Ronald stopped running and, pausing for a moment, before he turned and headed back to headquarters, wondering why Grell wouldn't have checked in. Did Grell and William had had some kind of argument? Now that he thought about it, Ronald couldn't recall seeing Grell in the past few days. Though...why was William in such a hurry if all red head didn't do was come into work? Was it because of the demons that had showed up? Puzzled, Ronald went back into the building to wait and see what was going on.

-x

William arrived in London in a timely manner, but didn't remain in the city for very long. He was intent on locating the missing Grell. William left London briskly, returning to the area where he had last seen Grell three days earlier. The wooded area surrounding the Phantomhive mansion. William was frowning a little as he noticed it was still raining here as well, and hoped that his search wouldn't take him too long. William didn't want his clothing to be utterly soaked like the last time he left the area. Either Grell was there or he wasn't. William wondered why the red headed reaper hadn't just left the mansion with him. _'Why did he run?'_ It didn't make very much sense to William, other than the fact that Grell looked embarrassed at the thought of saying suggestive things to him instead of to Sebastian.

William paused in his search, scowling. The demon caused trouble for him even when he wasn't around. William recalled the conversation with Sebastian three days previously, when the demon, sounding fairly annoyed, had called to say that he had Grell locked up in a room because the red-head had been bothering him again. William finished the call abruptly and had left to retrieve Grell, unamused with the others insistence on the demon. Why bother with someone who showed little interest in you? William started to walk again. He did intend to ask Grell why he ran, once he found him. Perhaps he would also ask why Grell kept insisting on chasing after Sebastian at the same time.

An hour into the search, William was beginning to think that Grell had gone back to the mansion to try and see Sebastian again. Though why would he, after Sebastian had locked him in a room for most of the day for just pestering him? William thought that that would have been a hint to the red-head that Sebastian didn't appreciate his presence. William sighed lightly. Grell's mind worked strangely. No doubt he thought that if he kept going back to see Sebastian, that the demon would eventually not react violently or coldly to him. It'd be like a fairy tale come true, where Grell would get his prince. The other reaper did spout off lines from plays with lovers and partners in them. William shook his head at the stupidity of it all, and thought to try and convince Grell that the only ending he'd get with Sebastian would be a tragedy. William resumed searching the area, keeping his deathscythe out. Even though the demons that had been in the human world were gone, it didn't mean they couldn't come back and attack someone without warning. William wasn't going to be caught off guard, and kept his senses and his eyes and ears open, for any telltale sign of an imminent attack.

Several uneventful hours passed, and William was more than ready to return to headquarters. All he had accomplished was being soaked and getting mud all over his shoes. As William turned to leave, he was stopped by the very faint sound of someone or something rustling leaves nearby. William turned around, wondering if he had imagined the sound. He held still, and heard it again moments later. William went in the direction of the sound, and found a hill that he hadn't seen on his initial search. He must have missed it because of the downpour days earlier. William blinked some water out of his eyes. Not that today was any better. If anything, it was wetter. Shaking his head to get the wet hair out of his face, William headed down the hill, wondering what he would find. It could be nothing, but the second sound he had heard had definitely sounded like it had been intentional. Like someone had wanted him to hear it.

-x

Grell had long since given up trying to ignore the pain in his body, and was lying as still as possible, so that pain wouldn't flare throughout his body. Were all demons so rough when they attacked? At least Sebastian concentrated on one place, not everywhere possible. It made Grell wonder why he was still alive. In a sense, of course. He was a shinigami, after all. Grell didn't think that he would have survived if all of the demonic auras that he had sensed would have attacked him all at once. The abrupt departure of the demons had surprised him. Grell couldn't focus his thoughts, so all he could remember at the moment was that one of the demons had spoken something amongst themselves. Something that sounded like they had just realized there was another demon (likely Sebastian) in the area, and that they needed to leave, for now, as Grell hadn't 'had it' anyway. Grell knew he must have heard more of the group of demons's conversation, since they were right next to him, but couldn't think straight from all the pain he was experiencing.

Grell tried to move, but found that he couldn't. All the effort gave was a fresh flash of pain jolting through him. His injuries were too much for him, and it interfered with his attempted movements. Grell was at a loss of what to do. If he couldn't move, there was no way he'd be able to get back to headquarters. He would just be scolded if he went there anyway. Grell considered just laying where he was and seeing what happened. It wasn't like he could be wounded more than he already was. The red headed reper was so immersed in his own misery that he almost didn't hear the sound of footsteps. Grell listened to the movement, hearing it stop now and again. At this point, Grell didn't care who it was that was nearby as long as they got him out of the rain or put an end to his misery. Wincing, Grell twitched his left hand against some leaves. The red-head hoped that the faint sound would reach whoever it was that was nearby. Grell didn't think he could stay conscious for much longer, and he'd rather see who had come to his rescue before that.

There was a long stretch of silence, and it made Grell worry that the sound he had made hadn't been loud enough. Then, he heard it. Louder footsteps approaching where he lay. Grell could now sense the presence coming toward him, and felt a wave of relief wash over him. It was William. Will had come looking for him? Grell twitched his left hand against the leaves again, not wanting William to walk right by him. Grell didn't want to be left all alone while he was too weak to move, in case the demons came back. The red-head decided that he didn't even care if William chose to scold him for the other day. Grell was just relieved that it was another reaper who had found him, and not something unpleasant. Well...being found by Sebastian wouldn't have been such a bad thing...

When Grell saw a shadow looming over him, accompanied by an intake of breath, Grell closed his eyes wearily. He felt so tired, but the tension was leaving his body now that William was there. The dark-haired man would make sure that nothing else happened to him. Grell tentatively resolved to try and not cause so much trouble for him in the future.

-x

William reached the bottom of the hill, halting at the sight of a crumpled figure at the base of the hill. William knelt next to the pitiful figure, once his mind registered that it was Grell he was seeing, covered in numerous, nasty wounds. The state of the other reaper was what alarmed William. He had never seen Grell in such a state. The only other time that Grell could have been badly injured like this was if he had allowed Sebastian to attack Grell with his own deathscyhte, or allowed Sebastian to continue to attack him without the scythe. Demons...the report of demons being spotted in the human world. William lurched to his feet, deathscythe clenched in both hands as he searched the immediate area for threats. Nothing. William relaxed his stance and glanced down at Grell again. The demons must have attacked Grell. That could be the only explanation for the poor state Grell was in. William highly doubted that Sebastian would have done this to Grell, even though the demon probably had fantasies about it.

William broke out of his thoughts as he loosened his tie and removed the outer layer of his suit. It was going to be expensive to replace, but he didn't need Grell losing any more blood than he already had. The red-head's upper clothing was mostly in tatters, so it was useless trying to use those. William covered Grell's chest with the suit jacket, in an attempt to staunch the blood-flow of the worst of the wounds. That done, William bent down further and scooped Grell up, eyebrow twitching when he realized that Grell's back was injured just as bad, if not worse, than the chest, which was now staining his _white_ shirt. Sighing, William started to move, deciding that he could worry about the fate of his clothing later. As he walked, William suddenly didn't know where he should take Grell.

Going back to headquarters was out, because he wouldn't be able to keep an eye on Grell. The red-head would more than likely be transferred from place to place being treated. Not to mention they'd try getting him to tell them if he told the demons anything. Threatening someone injured for information just didn't seem right, even if it was important. Besides, Grell didn't seem like he could form a coherent sentence, let alone an entire explanation. It would stress him out to be repeatedly asked about his attack. Going to the hospital was out as well, since it would be obvious due to the injuries that Grell wasn't quite human. That left only one other place that the other reapers would more than likely overlook.

William frowned, unhappy, and headed in the direction of the Phantomhive mansion. He'd get another reaper to see to Grell's wounds, and decided that Sebastian, being a demon himself, would be able to say why Grell wasn't healing on his own. William checked the wounds underneath the makeshift bandage, and saw that the marks weren't from a chainsaw, which was a good thing. Some of the blood didn't even appear to be Grell's, which meant that the red head had fought back. Rain poured down on to William in a steady stream, and he moved a little more quickly. The mansion, at least, was the closest dry place. William glanced down at Grell, and realized that he was still awake, though barely. Grell's eyes were closed, but one of his hands was making a weak attempt to grab William's vest. The dark-haired man spoke in a quiet tone, "Hold still." William thought he'd have to say more to stop Grell from moving around, but was surprised when Grell went limp in his arms. William thought that Grell had fainted, which wouldn't have been surprising considering the shape he was in. William then heard a faint, hoarse whisper from Grell.

"Sorry..." Grell wanted to say more, but it was all he could get out. Being carried along brought fresh waves of pain, and Grell couldn't remain awake any longer. Grell passed out, but was glad that he had managed a short apology.

William almost made a comment about how Grell shouldn't have run away. Instead, William rephrased it in his mind and said, "You should have just come back to headquarters with me the other day." There was no response from Grell, but William didn't check to see whether Grell had lost consciousness or not. The Phantomhive mansion was in view by now, and William chose to focus on the matter at hand. The rain was getting heavier, and he wanted to get Grell out of the rain before his condition worsened.

-x

Sebastian had just served lunch to Ciel, who was in a much better mood since Lau had gone after agreeing to keep an eye out for anything odd where he resided. Sebastian's mood, however, took a turn for the worst that day. A faint look of annoyance crossed his face. The demon butler turned to look out a window. He hadn't thought that any reaper would come to the mansion for at least a week, if not longer. Sebastian thought to not say anything, as he didn't have any interest in dealing with the shinigami right now. He was more preoccupied with the aura of demons that had come and gone.

Ciel, of course, noticed that his butler was preoccupied with something, "What is it, Sebastian?"

Sebastian turned his head to look at Ciel, "Two shinigami are coming here."

Ciel blinked, then sighed, "It's not Grell again, is it?"

Sebastian shrugged his shoulders lightly. It was Grell, but the demonic butler didn't feel like saying it aloud. Curiously, William was there as well, which made Sebastian faintly interested. He didn't think that William would willingly come to the mansion unless he had a reason to be there, "It could be. They are almost at the front door. Shall I go greet them?"

Ciel got out of his chair, "Yes, go on ahead. See what they want. I'll be down there shortly."

Sebastian gave a short bow, and left the dining hall, somewhat disappointed that he couldn't just leave the reapers outside. Although...now that he was paying more attention, it seemed like one of them was injured. Interesting...had the demons that had come and gone had anything to do with it? Sebastian assumed that Grell was the one who was injured. William T. Spears didn't seem like one to let his guard down around multiple demons.

-x

William wasn't all that surprised to find Sebastian standing in the doorway to the mansion. William, however, did not like the look of guarded interest that had appeared on Sebastian's face when the demon turned his eyes on Grell. It was rather unsettling. It was as if Sebastian were analyzing Grell or something. William figured that Sebastian could smell the demons that had attacked Grell. William resolved to ask Sebastian about the demons as soon as Grell was more comfortable. William could tell that he wasn't doing Grell any favors by carrying him around. It rubbed at the injuries, more than likely causing Grell more pain.

Ciel joined Sebastian at the door, and observed the two reapers. William was thoroughly soaked with his hair plastered to his head and he was holding a very wounded and unconscious Grell. Ciel sighed. One day Lau, now this. Why didn't he get more days with nothing out of the ordinary happening? Though considering the case he was investigating for the Queen, Ciel decided that the reapers' presence might mean they knew something. Ciel glanced up at Sebastian, "Let them in."

Sebastian stood aside reluctantly, allowing the two shinigami to come inside. Sebastian shut the door as soon as William stepped past him though the doorway.

William's grasp on Grell tightened ever so slightly when he caught sight of Sebastian staring at Grell again. It was still one of curious interest, but it was more pronounced now. William wondered if Sebastian could identify the scents of different demons. William shook the thought away. It had better have been only one or two demons that had attacked Grell. William didn't want to believe that there could have been a group of demons, as he had heard back at headquarters. One was bad enough.

Ciel could almost feel the animosity sparking between Sebastian and William, and decided that he didn't want to have to deal with it right now, "Sebastian, show them to a spare room. We'll leave an explanation for later."

William jerked his head in an irritable nod of thanks. He wasn't very happy about the prospect of being in the same building as Sebastian. Though it was mostly due to the fact that Sebastian seemed to have taken an interest in Grell. It made William wary.

Sebastian, after bowing slightly to Ciel, turned abruptly and started walking, leading the way to an empty bedroom. William followed after Sebastian down the hall in silence, and entered a room when Sebastian opened the door.

William kept an eye on Sebastian as he brought Grell inside the room, going over to the bed. William pulled back the covers, pleased to see a look of faint irritation cross Sebastian's face at the thought of a wounded and bleeding Grell laying on clean sheets. It was hell trying to get red out of white. William lay Grell down on the bed, trying to not jostle the wounds, while keeping the suit jacket pressed against Grell's chest. William stared down at Grell for a moment, before turning his full attention to Sebastian, fixing the demon with a glare, "I was under the impression that you disliked Grell. Why are you so intrigued with him now?"

Sebastian was silent, mulling it over, as though trying to figure out how best to phrase his response. It wasn't that he was intrigued with the the red-head, it was more like he was intrigued with what had attacked him. After a few moments, Sebastian glanced over to the bed at Grell. Frowning thoughtfully, Sebastian spoke, "It seems that a few demons found him. Only two or three attacked. The remaining demons were more than likely look-outs, watching for any other reapers that might have been in the area."

"How do you know that it wasn't just one demon that attacked him? In any case, wouldn't it be difficult to tell which attacked and which ones did not?" William asked incredulously. He wanted Sebastian to be wrong about the number of demons, but somehow felt that this, at least, was something Sebastian wouldn't lie about. Sebastian was probably more amused than anything that some demons had managed to get the better of a reaper.

"Scents," Sebastian replied, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. When William said nothing in response to that, Sebastian observed him silently for a minute before speaking, "Don't you need to be dealing with the appearance of those demons?"

William adjusted his glasses from where he stood next to the bed, "They have already left. Besides, I'm not about to leave injured in your presence. That would be irresponsible of me," William glanced down at Grell, who had just let out a soft moan. He needed medical attention.

"Well, if you're not going after the demons, then shouldn't you find someone to help him? I regretfully have to follow the young master's orders," Sebastian questioned smoothly. He smiled a bit and then added, "I'd find someone familiar with demonically caused injuries, otherwise Grell won't be healing any time soon."

William grit his teeth, assuming that Sebastian knew how to counteract the damage done by other demons, but knew that Sebastian wouldn't do anything for Grell. He probably enjoyed seeing the red-head suffering. As Grell didn't seem to be doing so well, William made up his mind, "I'll bring back someone to see to him." William crossed the room and opened the window, glancing over his shoulder at Sebastian, "Hurt him any more than he already is, and I will reap you without question."

Sebastian waited until he sensed that William was gone, before approaching the bed, where Grell was resting fitfully. Sebastian started down at Grell, not feeling the least bit sorry for the reaper. Sebastian was more angry with the fact that other demons had dared to attack Grell, when he knew the other demons should have caught his scent on the shinigami. Sebastian rested a hand on the bed as he thought for a moment. Perhaps the demons had thought that Grell would be easier to get information out of, because he had interacted with a demon before. Sebastian took it as an insult that the demons had dared to hurt something he considered his property (even if it was only temporary). Sebastian was drawn out of his thoughts as Grell had just woken up and was weakly clutching the hand that Sebastian had rested on the bed.

"Where's...Will?" Grell was surprised to see Sebastian, but decided it didn't matter to him why Sebastian was there. Had William brought him to the Phantomhive mansion? Did William leave him here to let Sebastian deal with him? Before Grell could form any other reason, Sebastian spoke up.

"He is getting someone to treat your injuries, as they don't appear to be healing on their own." Sebastian said, drawing his hand away from Grell's grasp. He didn't want to encourage the reaper to cling to him.

So William was coming back. Grell closed his eyes, not seeming put off that he had been foiled from holding Sebastian's hand, "I don't want to cause trouble...for William..."

"It's too late for that," Sebastian responded, looming over Grell and resting his hands on the bed lightly, " Before you go back to sleep, would you tell me what happened to you?"

Grell's eyes remained closed, and he sighed again, "Not now. I can't...think clearly at the moment." He really couldn't. Grell's thoughts were so jumbled that he couldn't think straight, and it didn't help that his wounds were still throbbing painfully. Why wouldn't Sebastian let him rest? Ordinarily, Grell would have been quite happy to talk to Sebastian and tell the demon whatever he wanted to hear, but right now, Grell was too exhausted to get excited about Sebastian's sudden interest in what happened to him. It was probably only because he had been attacked by demons. Grell didn't want to think about it just yet. The wounds reminded him of the sudden and violent attack. He pointedly ignored the fact that he had been the one to start the fight.

"It is better to try and remember now, while the memories are still fresh," Sebastian countered, leaning up closer to Grell. While it was the last thing he wanted to do, Sebastian braced himself to kiss the red-head. If nothing else, it might get the other talking. Grell appeared to respond to any kind of romantic gesture. If Grell had been well, Sebastian would have chosen not to kiss him.

Grell sensed the other getting closer, and opened his eyes. Seeing Sebastian's expression and guessing his intent, Grell tried to push him away, "Stop."

Sebastian ignored the protest and merely leaned down further, catching Grell in a kiss, smiling to himself when he felt that the red-head was giving in. It was sickeningly easy to get the reaper to do what he wanted. Sebastian drew away, running a hand absently through Grell's hair, "If you are getting your wounds treated, you won't be able to say what happened until afterward. If you wait to speak, you might forget the details and cause more work for Mr. Spears."

Grell looked away, feeling guilty about the amount of work his attack by demons would more than likely give William. Biting his lip lightly, Grell decided that he wanted a question answered first, "Do you still dislike me, Sebastian, even though you just kissed me again?"

"Yes, I still dislike you. Perhaps I even detest you. You're merely fun to play with, for now. That's all." Sebastian responded in a pleasant tone.

Grell was too tired and injured to really let the insult sink in much. He supposed he shouldn't really be all that surprised with Sebastian's response. Though at the moment, the look on Sebastian's face told him that the demon's patience was already running thin. With William gone at the moment, Grell knew he wouldn't be able to do anything should Sebastian decide to get violent. Sighing unhappily, Grell started to speak. It would at least use up some time, perhaps long enough for William to come back and get Sebastian to leave him alone for the time being.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

This is practically the same chapter, with only a few changes here and there, to go with the newer (sort of) plot. Any mistakes in time of day/ whatever in the chapters is hopefully fixed.


	6. Chapter 6

With another sigh, Grell collected his thoughts as he attempted to speak in somewhat coherent sentences, "I didn't sense the demons until it was too late to do anything other than fight. It was all a blur. I did notice that they looked more like lower and upper class citizens of London. I could only tell that they were demons by their aura," Grell paused when he saw a look of annoyance flash across Sebastian's face. Wait...was that why Sebastian was bothering him? "Are you only interested in what I have to say...because it was demons that attacked me?"

Sebastian ran a hand absently through Grell's hair again. Touching the redhead was the last thing Sebastian wanted to do, but since it got Grell to react to him, he would do anything to get what he wanted. He might as well explain things clearly to Grell so that the reaper wouldn't get the wrong idea about his intentions, "They attacked you, even though they should have sensed that another demon had already claimed you." It was interesting that the other demons wouldn't have hesitated at that. And as Sebastian was a demon, lying about the real reason why he was concerned about other demons around was quite easy.

"What do you mean by claim?" Grell questioned, although he thought he already knew, and was blushing at the thought. He didn't believe that Sebastian was being quite truthful about why he wanted answers, but at the moment the redhead didn't care so long as Sebastian was talking to him and being semi-pleasant.

"Since that night months ago I left a mark on you that makes you mine until I grow bored of playing with you." Sebastian responded, figuring that that should have been easy enough to understand. Though now that he had mentioned it, Sebastian sensed that the mark he had left wasn't as strong as before. That was odd.

Grell attempted to sit up to scold Sebastian for being so cold, but instead caused one of his wounds to start bleeding again. With a hiss, Grell sunk back down onto his back and held still, waiting for the pain to pass. Of course Sebastian made no move to help him, and Grell thought it was particularly demonic of Sebastian to be questioning him and insulting him at the same time without worrying about any retaliation. Grell sucked in a breath as Sebastian closed in on him, but couldn't find the words to make Sebastian back off.

"Can we continue on with you recalling things?" Sebastian queried pleasantly. Inwardly, Sebastian was wondering what the hell he was doing. It should be enough to use words to get Grell to tell him what he wanted, so why was he moving in so close? Perhaps because it seemed that, despite Grell being injured, the reaper was starting to have immunity to Sebastian trying to talk him into saying things. The demon butler turned his attention to Grell fully, "Well?" He prompted, leaning over even closer and wearing a light smile. He'd worry about the mark losing its power later, as it was more imperative that he learn more about the demons, to better prepare for dealing with them, should they show up again.

By now Grell had recovered from the sudden movement that had shortly incapacitated him. The injured reaper gazed up at Sebastian and spoke spitefully, "Why should I bother telling you anything if all I am to you is a plaything?" Inwardly, Grell felt a twinge of sadness. It hurt to admit it out loud. Pushing the thought aside, Grell turned his head away from Sebastian's and said half-heartedly, "You're not going to win any endearment from me if you keep acting like that." Grell winced when Sebastian seized his chin and turned his head forcefully to look at him.

"You won't get any from me. I've already told you that you're nothing more than a toy to me until I grow bored of playing with you. Understand?" Sebastian was glad Grell was distracted by other things and seemed to have not connected the odd soul movements and the demons together, otherwise he would have remained silent until William came into the room. Which would have been inconvenient.

Grell attempted to turn his head, but whimpered when the demon closed the distance between them and drew him into a dominating kiss. Grell tried to move away from the kiss, but Sebastian's free hand gripped the back of Grell's head to hold him still.

Sebastian tried to mentally block out what he was doing, as he needed to distract and disorient Grell into forgetting the way the conversation was heading and steer him back into talking about the demons that had attacked him. After all, Sebastian was collecting information for his master (for the investigation the Queen had asked Ciel to look into), and thinking of it that way made the demonic butler feel ever so slightly better for resorting to this manner of information gathering.

Grell couldn't do anything but let Sebastian do as he pleased, and the reaper let out a small whine somewhere between unhappiness and pleasure when Sebastian broke the kiss and let the reaper's head drop on the pillow again. Grell didn't like the way that Sebastian was messing around with his head, as well as his feelings. Though Grell reminded himself that Sebastian _was_ a demon. With a sigh, Grell closed his eyes wearily, as though doing so would make Sebastian go away and leave him in peace.

Sebastian was unamused with this and was seriously considering beating the answers out of the shinigami. That, however, would cause more trouble, and Sebastian decided that he didn't want the hassle of dealing with William. Which meant that he couldn't get rough with Grell. Sebastian smirked, wondering what William would think if he knew all of what happened that one night, months ago. Seeing that Grell was already looking pitiful, Sebastian stored the thought away. He would use it at a more opportune moment. Sebastian rested a hand on Grell's head again, running it slowly through the red hair. He drew a sound of not quite complaint from Grell, the red head leaning in to the hand. Sebastian sighed. Even though it was the last thing he wanted to do, he knew how to get what he wanted from the reaper. If merely running a hand through the other's hair got this kind of reaction, then...

Grell hated that he couldn't decide whether to be angry with Sebastian or to try and make passes at him. He leaned into Sebastian's hand that was running through his hair, and, knowing that he was too injured to be resisting, decided to enjoy being with Sebastian even if the demon was only toying with him. Grell opened his eyes after Sebastian had been silent for a few minutes, and had ceased running his hand through the reaper's hair. Had Sebastian actually left him or...? Grell froze, as he opened his eyes and found himself gazing up at Sebastian, who wore a closed expression. Grell really didn't like the look...it made him nervous. "Sebas...!" Grell let out a cry of surprise that was muffled as Sebastian caught him in another kiss. This was not what Grell had been expecting, especially not while he was injured.

Sebastian kept the kiss engaged as he climbed onto the bed with ease, hovering over the wounded red head. Some physical pleasure seemed almost amendable, to make himself forget, momentarily, the fact that other demons appeared to be interested in intruding upon his territory.

The kiss deepened and Grell was too preoccupied with it and the steady throb of his injuries to notice Sebastian moving one hand. Grell's eyes slipped close, not seeing the demon undoing his own tie. If Grell had been aware, he would have been blushing. Sebastian used his other hand to grip Grell's wrists together, deftly looping the tie around them securely. Sebastian didn't want to deal with any protests from Grell, and didn't want the reaper trying to hold onto him. Sebastian dragged the bound wrists over Grell's head and secured them to the headboard. He didn't need Grell injuring himself more from being overenthusiastic either.

Grell had felt his arms being moved above his head, and his wrists being tied together with something. However, Grell was unable to do anything about it, except to moan softly into the kiss Sebastian still had him locked in.

After making sure that he didn't sense William, Sebastian broke the kiss and smiled down at the flustered redhead, "Tell me about the demons, or I shall have to resort to having some...fun with you." Sebastian inwardly shuddered at the thought of what he was thinking of doing.

Grell tugged at the tie binding his wrists uselessly, unable to get them loose. If he had been in better shape, Grell would have been able to get the tie at least a little loose. With his arms tethered over his head, Grell had no way to stop Sebastian from doing what he wanted with him. Grell bit his lip lightly, thinking about it, and felt ashamed that he liked the idea. Grell looked up at Sebastian, "If I answer you, will you still...!" Grell was cut off as Sebastian silenced him with another kiss. Grell felt Sebastian working off his tattered vest and shirt, pulling them to either side as much as Grell's bound arms would allow.

Sebastian broke the kiss and murmured close to the other's lips, "You want it either way, don't you?" Why was he encouraging this? He really didn't want to do this if he didn't have to.

Grell tried one final tug against the makeshift restraint, before nodding wordlessly. He let out a yelp as Sebastian removed his remaining clothing, "S...Sebastian..." This was going rather fast, and Sebastian wasn't being very careful of his wounds. Not that Grell really minded the roughness, but still, not while he was injured. It wouldn't be very pleasurable if he was distracted by his wounds.

Sebastian leaned in closer, drawing a small moan from Grell. Sebastian was about to speak, when the demon heard a sound cut through the air. Sebastian gracefully dodged the end of a deathscythe, leaping away from the bed and a blushing Grell. Sebastian landed on the ground near the door, appearing to be not at all concerned with the fact that William was suddenly standing there in front of him, wearing an expression close to fury.

"Get out, demon," William ordered coolly, holding back his surprise when said demon did so.

Sebastian backed away toward the open door, though his eyes locked onto Grell's briefly, silently telling the red head that he wasn't done with him quite yet. The demon gave William a mocking little bow, before closing the door, and walking off down the hallway. He'd come back for answers later.

William waited until he sensed that Sebastian had gotten far enough away, before turning to the bed. Without looking down at the embarrassed Grell, William pulled the sheets up to the redhead's waist, stopping before getting to the injuries that began on the chest. There was a long silence in which Grell was pulling and tugging nervously at the tie that bound his wrists, while William stared off into space. Why did he keep finding Grell in such extreme situations? Especially around that demon. Although...this was the first time he had had to rescue Grell when the redhead was naked. It made it all the more awkward.

Grell didn't dare try and say anything. He wasn't sure what William would say in response, or even react to what he had just seen. Grell wondered how it would have looked to see a coworker naked and being leaned over by a demon with something other than merely talk in mind. Grell dismissed the thought, not wanting to try and guess William's mood.

William knew that another shinigami would be there soon to treat Grell's wounds. It meant that he didn't have long to get information from Grell. William turned his attention to Grell, who was carefully avoiding eye contact, blushing. From what William could see, Sebastian had been trying to get information as well, though why tie Grell up? William sent his deathscythe away for the time being, and approached the bed, causing Grell's eyes to dart to him, an expression of worry in them, underlined with pain. "Would you be able to give me a brief summary of what happened to you in the woods?" William questioned without a change of tone.

The worry in Grell's eyes vanished, replaced by one of annoyance, "I'm hurt William. Why can't I wait until I'm healing and in better shape?" Speaking of healing, why wasn't he already? Some of the minor wounds should have healed on their own by now. When William said nothing, Grell sighed. No doubt William wouldn't move from where he stood until he said something in response. William could be so stubborn sometimes, but that was what Grell liked about him. Grell tugged at his bound wrists, "Could I at least be untied?" Grell didn't want to mention why he had been tied up-he didn't want a lecture about that anytime soon.

William gave a light sigh, but moved forward and reached for the tie. Why bother restraining Grell when the red head wasn't in any shape to be resisting anything? William paused with a hand on the tie. It had almost looked as if Sebastian had been going to have sex with Grell...

Grell looked up and saw William's expression. It was a calculating, thoughtful one. Nervous, Grell spoke up in a soft tone, "Will?" Did William already guess what Sebastian's intentions had been?

William looked down briefly at the redhead who was looking up at him hesitantly. With another sigh, William undid the tie easily, letting Grell's arms drop back onto the bed. The dark haired reaper couldn't say that he approved of the idea that Grell would want to be with something like_ that_.

Grell winced, but was grateful that William had at least untied him. He had been worried that William would have been angry with him and left him tied up. Grell flinches as he moved, remembering that his back was injured as well. Painfully, Grell rolled onto his side, facing William. Flashing a quick look up at William, Grell clenched the sheets loosely, and looked away, realizing with another blush that he was still naked beneath the sheets.

"I have someone coming to see to your injuries, so can you tell me anything before they get here?" William decided that it was best to ignre the fact that he was alone in a room with a naked coworker, and hoped against hope that Grell didn't make and passes at him.

Grell let out a little sigh, and ignoring the pain of his wounds for the moment, spoke, "I really can't remember all that much other than it was demons that approached me, but they were in human form" Grell cast William a sheepish smile, "I was in a bad mood, so I sort of attacked them." Seeing that the other didn't like the sound of that, Grell quickly began to talk again, "I think they were talking while they attacked me once I lost a hold of my deathscythe. They didn't get it. I sent it away before they could grab it." Grell added that when he saw William look startled at the thought that Grell had let go of his deathscythe." Grell shrugged, wincing, "I can't recall what any of them said at the moment. I was already injured after fighting two of them off and injuring them in return. The demons just left, after I thought they were going to attack me again." Grell bit his lip a little, "I only heard one of them say something about someone coming, and that they were leaving, until a better time came along. I think I passed out for a little before you showed up." Grell wasn't sure whether to mention that the demon had also, before the fight, mentioned something about Grell not having something they were looking for. Grell had an uneasy feeling that the object he had found in the garden was what the demons were looking for. He almost wanted to ask Sebastian if he knew what it was, before telling William that he had picked up an object off the ground he had no idea what it was.

William decided to take what little information Grell had offered and hope that the red head would be able to remember more. Though from the sound of it, the demons were planning to come back, and that was a headache he really didn't need.

"Mr. Spears."

William glanced over to the window where a shinigmai stood, and William nodded to him. Leaving the new reaper to see to Grell, William turned, glancing over his shoulder momentarily, "I'll come back in a little while," he said, and seeing Grell nod in confirmation, William left the room. Out in the hallway, William encountered Ronald Knox and Sebastian giving one another challenging glares. Giving the demon a suspicious look, William accepted a letter from Ronald. The dark haired reaper read through the letter, before sliding it into a pocket. It was an update about the demons that had attacked Grell. Based upon the letter, it appeared as if the demons wouldn't be coming back right away, as they appeared to realize Sebastian was around.

"Is that about the demons?" Sebastian questioned, when he saw that William had finished reading through the letter.

William considered Sebastian for a moment. He doubted that Sebastian appreciated other demons near the soul he was contracted to. A little information couldn't hurt, "It seems like the demons may be coming back, though when is unknown due to your presence." That said, William brushed past Sebastian to speak with Ronald.

Sebastian took William's reply for what it was. He was still planning on going and getting information from Grell later. He doubted that a group of demons would randomly decide to attack a reaper and not come back. Was there a reason? Other than the fact that, according to the demon he had killed, that souls were more easily gathered in London and the surrounding areas? Sebastian also didn't believe that Grell hadn't heard more coherent voices speaking around him when he got attacked. Perhaps he hadn't liked what he had heard, or knew the reason behind the attack and hadn't been sure what to make of it? Sebastian was going to get answers, if those answers would allow him to make sure that Ciel would come to no harm.

William went back into the bedroom once the other shinigami had treated Grell's injuries. William waved the man off, and the reaper left the through the window from whence he came. Ronald trailed into the room after William, leaning up against a wall and casting a sympathetic look Grell's way.

Seeing that William was about to speak, Grell shook his head slightly, "I'm sorry, Will. I can't remember anything else right now."

Frowning, William merely nodded, wondering how long it would take for Grell to remember more, if at all.

Ronald moved away from the wall, and jumped up lightly onto the window sill, as he glanced over at William, "Headquarters is on high alert after the demons' appearances. I'll go back and listen for any more updates and let you know, sir." After seeing the nod from William, Ronald leapt out the window.

William closed and locked the window, before leaving the room and closing the door, to allow Grell to get some rest. Grell watched the door close, before settling back in bed and closing his eyes. He really did need to try and get some rest. He could only hope that his injuries would heal better now that they had been treated. Grell rather doubted that William would let him stay out of work for very long.

Outside the room, William stayed near the door to the room Grell was resting in, determined to keep Sebastian away from the other reaper.

-x

Sebastian considered it good fortune that Elizabeth had made a surprise visit. It would allow him time to interrogate Grell while Ciel was otherwise occupied. Sebastian observed a hapless Ciel being spun around in dizzying circles by an overenthusiastic Lizzy, and decided that his young master would be occupied for a while. After all, there wasn't much Ciel could do about his investigation if he didn't have any more information to go on. Sebastian turned and headed back up the stairs. He wanted to know why the demons had attacked Grell, and whether those demons had anything to do with the one he had killed. It was troublesome either way, since they were too close to his young master than he would have liked. Sebastian sensed that William was still there, meaning that it would be problematic trying to get to Grell, unless...Sebastian smiled as he turned down the hall. He would just have to get William out of the way for a while. It should be easily done. All Sebastian had to do was surprise William somehow.

William saw rather than heard Sebastian approaching and the shinigami tensed, bringing up his deathscythe, "What do you want demon?" William quickly deflected several knives thrown his way, and let out a gasp when his glasses were promptly knocked off. William narrowed his eyes at the now blurry demon, but Sebastian merely smiled, before vanishing from sight. William turned quickly, believing that Sebastian would turn up behind him, and swung his deathscythe. William, however, wasn't prepared for Sebastian to catch the scythe and twist it out of his grasp.

Sebastian reached out and grabbed one of William's arms, wrenching it behind his back. Before William could react to this new development, Sebastian rested the cutting edge of the deathscythe across the reaper's throat. Sebastian felt William still, and smiled as he spoke, "Well then, if you would come with me."

Feeling the pressure increase against his throat, William had little choice but to listen to Sebastian. William walked a few steps and entered the room next door to the one Grell was in. William had barely taken a few steps inside, when Sebastian let go of him abruptly and smacked him over the head with the deathscythe sharply.

A sickening crack rang out and Sebastian watched William crumple to the ground in an unconscious heap. Sebastian set aside the deathscythe, and picked up some thin, slender rope. Now, to keep William from interrupting his conversation with Grell. Sebastian keeled down and quickly started to get to work, knowing William wouldn't remain out for long. Once he was sure William wouldn't get free, Sebastian went out in the hall and retrieved the glasses, setting them down on the table in the room. He didn't want to hear the reaper yammering on about his glasses, otherwise Sebastian would have left the glasses out in the hall.

-x

William woke, senses swimming. He had a horrible headache forming, and he glanced up to see the blurry image of Sebastian smiling down at him. William tried to stand up, but found that he couldn't move his limbs. Had Sebastian tied him up? William tugged at the restraints, but they wouldn't give. William cast a baleful glare in Sebastian's general direction, and demanded that the demon untie him. At least, he wanted to. William could only make muffled noises, as Sebastian had gagged him as well. How dare that demon do this to him!

Sebastian smiled pleasantly down at the tethered reaper and indicated the deathscythe propped against the wall near William, "I believe I'll leave that there." Seeing the look of frustration in William's eyes, Sebastian moved in closer and blindfolded him with the reaper's own tie. Sebastian stood up straight and headed for the door, "I'll have someone let you out as soon as I'm finished _speaking_ with Grell." The demon butler smiled a bit as he closed and locked the door, leaving William struggling to free himself.

-x

Grell was resting more comfortably after having had his injuries treated. He had sensed that William was outside the door, presumably to keep Sebastian from seeing him. Grell smirked at the thought, and supposed he appreciated it, though only while he was injured. Grell fell into a light doze, until he was awoken minutes later. Grell sleepily tilted his head to look at the door, and frowned. That was odd. He could have sworn that he had heard something outside the door, including William's voice. Grell listened carefully but heard nothing more. Deciding that it must have been nothing, Grell was about to settle back down when the door opened. Grell's eyes widened a bit when he saw that it was not William but Sebastian that entered the room. "Sebas-chan!" What was he doing there? Well...Grell supposed Sebastian was there because he wanted to know more about the demons that had attacked him after he had started the fight in the first place. But, where was William? Hadn't the dark haired reaper been just outside the door?

Sebastian closed the door and locked it, approaching the bed at a leisurely pace. Seemingly having read Grell's mind, he spoke calmly, "William is a little...tied up at the moment," The sentence was ended with a smile.

Grell tensed up as Sebastian got closer, "What do you mean? What did you do to him? Hey...!" Grell's protests were muffled by Sebastian placing a hand over his mouth.

"I merely have him in the room next door, tied up for the time being, so that he won't interfere." Sebastian responded, before removing his hand from Grell's mouth.

Grell looked away, blushing when he realized that he was still naked beneath the sheets. The other shinigami that had treated his wounds hadn't offered to help Grell get into clothing that had been brought along. Grell vaguely wondered if William would have helped him. Grell looked back at Sebastian, feeling a little angry that everyone wanted information out of him, "So what do _you _want?" Grell knew full well what Sebastian wanted, but wanted to try and delay the inevitable.

"I want for you to start remembering what those demons were saying when they attacked you," Sebastian said in a soft, dangerous voice, eyes glittering in the dimly lit room.

Grell shrank away from the sudden appearance of Sebastian's demonic aura. Grell closed his eyes, panicking when Sebastian moved closer to the bed, and closer to him, the aura feeling nearly overwhelming. "S...Stop it. Stop! I'll talk, I'll talk...please...stop..." Grell didn't think he could stand the malignant demonic aura for much longer. Inwardly Grell was furious, and as soon as he was well, Sebastian had better watch his back. Had Grell been feeling better, the demon's aura wouldn't have bothered him nearly as much.

Sebastian allowed his aura to die down, satisfied that he had cowed whatever fight there might have been left in Grell. Sebastian contented himself to sprawl on the bed next to the red head, looking at the other in contemplation, "Are you going to talk or not?" Sebastian ran a hand along Grell's bandaged arm, gripping the reaper's hand when it twitched, as though Grell had wanted to swat him away. Not that it would have hurt.

Grell winced in Sebastian's grasp, and he looked up to see that the demon wasn't going to leave without hearing what he wanted to. Grell shifted beneath the sheets, letting out a small groan of pain when a dull throb ached throughout his body. He may have already reopened a wound. Why did Sebastian have to do this to him when he was injured? It wasn't fair. The idea of asking Sebastian about the object was far from his mind now.

Sebastian really didn't want to do _that _with Grell again, but knew that there had to have been a reason the demons showed up and left so abruptly. Sebastian highly doubted that it was merely another demon's presence, his, that had caused them to go. Grell knew something, and Sebastian wanted to know what it was.

Grell gave a yelp of not quite protest when Sebastian yanked the sheets off of him for the second time that night. Grell immediately started to blush, "W...What are you...?" Grell fell silent as he watched Sebastian start to unbutton his tail coat, "Sebas...?" Was Sebastian actually going to have sex with him? Now? While he was still trying to heal? His wounds would more than likely all reopen if they did that. Grell bit his lip lightly as he watched Sebastian undress.

Sebastian tossed his tail coat on a nearby chair, followed closely by his vest. With a pause, Sebastian undid the buttons of the white shirt, but kept it on.

Grell couldn't help but watch Sebastian's movements with a hungry gleam in his eyes as the demon rid himself of his pants as well. Why did Sebastian have to look so overwhelmingly sexy? Grell would have liked to watch more, but Sebastian decided to descend on him and kiss him. Grell managed to break out of the kiss to gasp out, "What are you...doing?"

Sebastian kept Grell pinned to the bed, smiling pleasantly as he replied, "I figured I'd distract you from your injuries, so that you could try and remember earlier."

Grell blushed as Sebastian helped him to sit up, "How am I supposed to remember anything if you're distracting me?" Grell flinched a bit as Sebastian had pulled him up against his chest. Grell sighed, enjoying the closeness of the demonic butler. It seemed rather surreal that this was happening again. Even if the demon was merely playing with him it felt rather nice.

"How many demons do you think there were?" Sebastian questioned, tracing a hand along Grell's lower back. It was a rhetorical question. He already had sensed five separate auras. He was just checking to see how coherent Grell was.

Grell shifted a little so that his head could rest more easily against Sebastian's bare chest. "Mmm...well, I think there were three that attacked me, well, after I attacked them. And then three…no, two, watching." Grell clung to Sebastian as the demon moved up toward the headboard, reaching for the bedside table and opening one of the drawers. Grell stiffened, but the drawer that Sebastian had opened was the one next to the one he had placed the object in. Grell didn't look to see what Sebastian was grabbing, but thought it was getting rather kinky that Sebastian kept things hidden around the mansion. Grell didn't miss the slight hesitation in Sebastian's movement, meaning he could sense that something was in the room that hadn't been there before.

Sebastian spoke in a quiet tone so that William, over in the next room, wouldn't hear, "Do you remember anything before you were attacked? Any changes in your surroundings?" Sebastian knew that it wouldn't be quiet in the room for much longer. The odd sensation from one of the drawers could be investigated after this.

The sound of a cap being undone distracted Grell yet again, but he clutched Sebastian's free arm tightly as he spoke, "Nothing...out of the ordinary. They...must have masked their presence from me. I only noticed them when they were within paces of me."

Sebastian narrowed the types of demons down to those who were capable of masking their presence that well, before speaking again, "Was there any conversation going on while you were being attacked?"

"Nnn...ahh...Sebas...could you..." Grell struggled to form words, "N..No...well, they were complaining…about how demons shouldn't have to…to search and retrieve." Grell managed to respond, all but collapsing against Sebastian.

Searching for something? Perhaps the demon he had killed had detached itself from this group? It could be, since most demons preferred to be alone and not share any souls they might come across. Sebastian considered taking off his gloves, but decided not to. He could always get new gloves later. Sebastian lay Grell back on the bed and straddled him, thinking about what question to ask next.

-x

William, in the room next door, started to hear cries issuing from Grell. It wasn't cries of pain, but pleasure. _'Damn demon.' _William was unable to free himself from the ropes Sebastian had bound him with. He could barely move his hands so trying to use his deathscythe to free himself was out of the question. He might injure himself in the process, since he was blindfolded and had limited movement. The sounds coming from the other room, however, made William attempt to free himself with renewed vigor. Though William wondered if he did free himself, would he really go into the room and stop Sebastian? William wasn't sure he'd want to see the scene.

Giving the ropes one final tug, William slumped against the chair he was seated on. The demon had tied the knots too tightly, meaning William would have to wait for someone to come and free him. William heard Grell's now desperate cries, and decided he wasn't going to give up just yet. William braced himself, before throwing himself forward. Or at least, he tried to. Sebastian had tied some rope to the chair, causing William to fall heavily to the ground with a grunt of surprise, chair still attached to him. William lay where he fell, feeling stunned for a moment before he attempted to tug the rope again. It wouldn't give and now he had a chair pinning him to the ground.

Sebastian had probably anticipated that he would try and get to his deathscythe. William managed to push himself into a sideways position, so that the chair wasn't digging itself into his back. William needed to think of another way to try and free himself. Otherwise he'd be lying there and looking like a fool until someone came and untied him.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Not much change in this chapter either, other than little bits here and there to match up with the new plot.


	7. Chapter 7

A half hour later, Grell was lying on his side, staring out the window, as Sebastian moved about the room gathering stray clothing up off the ground. How they managed to get all over the place was a mystery. While Grell might not care if Ciel knew what they had been up to, Sebastian didn't want his young master to know. He didn't want Ciel making jokes or teasing him about it. Sebastian wouldn't be able to live it down. Therefore, Sebastian scoured the entire room and cleaned it up meticulously, to make it look as though nothing had occurred between himself and Grell. It would stay that way. Sebastian turned his eyes to the bed, which was the last thing he would need to take care of. Of course, there happened to be a very weary reaper lying practically in the middle of the bed. Sebastian supposed he could always prop Grell up in a chair while he cleaned. Or the floor. Whichever worked better. He supposed it depended on Grell's ability to move...if he could.

"Sebastian?" Grell asked tentatively, unsure of Sebastian's mood at the moment. He didn't want to upset the demonic butler and cause him to leave.

"Yes?" Sebastian asked distractedly, as he had suddenly realized that he'd need to get a new vest and white shirt (Grell had ripped it up, and it didn't appear to be redeemable, even with sewing). Sebastian turned his attention to the bed again, and saw that Grell was looking up at him hesitantly, "What is it?" Sebastian prompted, while at the same time realizing that his pocket watch was missing as well. Where could he have put it? It had been in his tail coat, and he had set it aside...

Avoiding Sebastian's eyes, Grell spoke up in a quiet tone, "May I...take a bath?" He hadn't had one since he had been injured, and he'd rather not get any of his newly stitched wounds infected.

Not saying anything in response, Sebastian merely approached the bed and picked Grell up without asking and took him into a nearby bathroom, to allow the reaper to use the bathtub. Grell, too weary to protest, merely leaned up against the bathtub when he was set down. Grell cast Sebastian a curious look. Did Sebastian actually expect him to be able to use the bathtub on his own, with his injuries? Seeing Sebastian turn to leave, Grell guessed the butler did think he could take a bath on his own. The door shut and Grell let out a low sigh of disappointment. He had hoped that Sebastian might stay there to make sure he at least didn't hurt himself while moving around. Shaking his head slightly, Grell set about getting the bath ready. He wasn't exactly sure how long it would take for him to get clean, but he needed to be careful to not reopen his wounds. Grell couldn't use as much water as he would ordinarily like to use, deciding he shouldn't get his wounds very wet, until they had had a chance to heal a bit longer.

Sebastian left Grell alone, deciding that it didn't matter much to him whether the reaper drowned himself or something of the like. Sebastian would, however, come back to take Grell back into the spare bedroom he was temporarily using. Speaking of the bedroom...Sebastian headed there and cleaned the bed and remade it in a short amount of time. Sebastian was sensing something again as he went about his task, but he couldn't find the source. Finished cleaning and tidying the room, Sebastian didn't feel the need to linger and wait for Grell to get clean. Figuring that it would take Grell a longer amount of time in the bathroom due to being injured and newly sore, Sebastian went and cleaned himself up in another bathroom of the mansion. Looking presentable once more, the demon butler decided to go and check up on Ciel. After all, Ciel was his responsibility, not Grell. Stopping short of heading down the staircase, Sebastian observed with amusement that Ciel and the other servants were still at the whim of Lizzy and her games. Apparently, she was very excited about something, by the way she was acting.

"Ciel! There's a ball coming up and I want you, as my fiance, to take me to it!"

Smirking at Ciel's very unhappy expression at the word 'ball' and the unpleasant memories it no doubt drudged forth, Sebastian decided that Ciel was still sufficiently occupied. Ciel continued to allow Lizzy to lead him around in circles in an impromptu dance, making Sebastian wonder why Ciel hadn't tried to get him to come and get Lizzy to stop. No matter. He hoped to return shortly after dealing with Grell. Sebastian backtracked and went in the direction of the kitchen, to get dinner prepared in advance. He highly doubted that anyone would be thinking about it until it was already past dinner time. Not with the distraction known as Lizzy. Ten minutes later, Sebastian was headed back upstairs to check on Grell. Sebastian vaguely wondered if reapers could drown, but somehow it seemed very unlikely. On the way to the bathroom, Sebastian stopped by in the spare bedroom and gathered clothing that had been left by the reaper who had treated Grell's numerous injuries. Leaving the room again, Sebastian walked a little further down the hall and stopped outside the bathroom. No need to go inside until he heard that Grell was finished inside. Sebastian waited there for nearly forty-five minutes before he heard the sound of Grell tentatively limping around. Waiting for a while longer, Sebastian opened the bathroom door without knocking and held the clothing out to Grell, who flushed upon seeing Sebastian and took the clothing with trembling hands.

Seeing Sebastian make no move to help him, Grell quickly started to fumble into the clothing, avoiding looking directly at the demon. Grell hadn't thought that Sebastian would have helped him get his clothing on, but it would have been nice to have a little help. Or at the very least, couldn't Sebastian have not watched him while he was getting dressed? It was a little disconcerting with Sebastian's eyes on him as he attempted to get the clothing on at a somewhat quick pace. What he could sense from the other's mood, Grell knew that Sebastian probably wasn't going to be patient for very long. The white shirt was easiest to get on, and when Grell got to the pants, he managed to get them mostly on, before he felt a wound twinge. Grell let out a strangled cry from the pain that flared up, and lost his balance, going in for a sure meeting with the ground, which might or might not hurt as much as his wounds currently did. Grell was understandably surprised when Sebastian caught him and scooped him up, carrying him out of the bathroom and back in the direction of the spare bedroom they had been in earlier. Grell had all but gone limp in the demon butler's arms. Even if it was only for short amounts of time, he loved being held by the other man. It didn't happen often, especially not when he was well.

Sebastian entered the spare bedroom and set Grell on the bed, watching as the reaper curled up slightly on his side. While Sebastian had learned most of what he had wanted from Grell, he still hadn't gotten a straight answer about the demons, whenever he had asked about what they had been talking about. Grell couldn't say much about it, and Sebastian hoped that he had provided enough of a distraction that Grell's memory might have been jogged. That, and the bath should have relaxed him further. When Sebastian saw that Grell had settled on the bed, Sebastian decided to try and ask again. He settled on the bed next to Grell, and though Sebastian couldn't see his face, knew that the other was wary of his presence. Sebastian ignored this and spoke, "Have you happened to remember what the demons said, Grell?"

Blushing a bit, Grell looked away, feeling a little happy that Sebastian had said his name. Then, he started to feel a little irritated, because Sebastian's question meant that the demon wasn't done grilling him for answers. Grell really wasn't in the best of shape to be remembering things, especially not after some of his wounds felt like they had been reopened, after he and Sebastian had...Grell stopped that train of thought and was silent, unsure what to say to Sebastian at the moment. In addition to the dull throbbing feel of his wounds, Grell also felt extremely sore. The red headed reaper flushed again, realizing that Sebastian had said that William was in the room next door to them. Had he heard him crying out? What would William think when he saw him again?

Sebastian could tell that Grell's thoughts were drifting, so Sebastian reached out and turned Grell over, holding him up against his chest loosely, one arm around his back, the other running through the red-head's damp hair, "Is there anything you can tell me about the demons other than their auras?"

Grell almost started talking, feeling pleased that Sebastian was holding him so closely, when he remembered what he had been going to say. "Are you going to let William out of the other room?" Grell questioned. No doubt the dark-haired man was beside himself with the thought of being outsmarted by a demon.

Sebastian smiled faintly, "You can yourself, once you're able to." Sebastian wasn't about to go and loose the other reaper, knowing that William would more than likely either attack him or start scolding him, which would draw everyone else in the mansion's attention. Sebastian wanted to avoid this. He was perfectly content to leave the other man tied up, so he had one less thing to worry about.

Grell wanted to tell Sebastian to let William go now, or he wouldn't say anything at all. Sighing inwardly, Grell immediately dismissed the thought. Given his current weakened condition, Grell doubted he'd be able to convince Sebastian to do anything. Grell rested his head against Sebastian's now clothed chest, and enjoyed the close contact with the demonic, knowing that being with Sebastian wouldn't last for very long. Grell even knew that Sebastian only seemed to want to toy with him until he grew bored of him. After that, Grell would be left alone, and all he would have would be William giving him disproving looks for who knows how many years. Grell really didn't want to think about it, at least not now.

With an audible sigh, Grell tried to recall any conversation he might have heard. It was hard, since he had been more focused on the injuries that he had received. With a small frown, he began, "Well...when I got overwhelmed in the fight, there was mostly just laughing. Later...I think one of them was saying something about the shinigami being lax on their patrols...and how they might be able to use that to their advantage, despite a mishap." Grell closed his eyes, "Another voice spoke up after that...I think he mentioned that another demon was living nearby...I think the others were surprised..." Grell gave Sebastian a quick look, "I guess that was about you." Grell looked away, "I think they started to argue once that had been said. Though there was an odd mention of something that one of the lesser demons of the group. One that had defected and took something with it, and that it was essential that they find it before anyone else did." Grell stopped abruptly, and he suddenly wondered if the little object in the drawer was indeed what was being searched for.

Sebastian knew that Grell remembered something then, and decided to approach the topic slowly, "I thought you didn't hear anything."

Grell threw Sebastian a withering glare, the object momentarily forgotten, "Why would I after having been injured so much? It isn't something that I focused on. It's been coming back to me in bits and pieces."

"Anything more?" Sebastian could have sworn that he heard something, but he shook it off for the time being. It had been almost as if Ciel was calling to him...but he should have been distracted with Lizzy. Unless he managed to shake her off for a few moments and got around to a direct order that Sebastian couldn't ignore.

Grell started to shake his head, then stopped, "I...well...I think I heard one of the demons mention that...since you were in the area...they should wait to come back, since they didn't want to let you know that they were here..."

Sebastian was intrigued by this. It could mean that all of the demons that had set upon Grell were low in power. Especially if they knew that they wouldn't be any match for the demon (Sebastian) in the area. At least, that was what Sebastian assumed to be the case if the other demons didn't want him to notice their presence. Interesting. If that were the case, the demons had gotten lucky in catching Grell off guard during the fight. Sebastian smoothly got to the point, "I killed a demon within the mansion grounds that could have quite possibly been the defector. I don't suppose you foolishly picked anything up while on the mansion property?" Seeing the guilty look was answer enough, "Where is it?"

Grell indicated the drawer next to the one Sebastian had opened earlier, and watched silently as dark clad butler opened the drawer and extracted the object from its hiding place.

Sebastian stared at the item silently, taking in the script, before he replaced it in the drawer, and ran a hand over the drawer, muttering something. Then, Sebastian turned to Grell, a dangerous smile on his face, "Is there any reason you hid it here? If those demons believe that I took it from them, it is going to cause quite a bit of trouble for me and my master."

"It's just an odd trinket. It doesn't look all that important." Grell said dismissively.

Sebastian's eyes bored into Grell's, "It is the opposite of that. It is quite a rare item in the demon realm, and not many of them are around anymore due to the younger demons wrecking them beyond repair."

Grell frowned, "What's so great about it? All it seemed to do is glow."

That at least let Sebastian know why the mark he had put on Grell had faded somewhat, and was about to respond when an order from Ciel came.

_'Sebastian! Come here at once! I know you can hear me! It's an order!'_

Sebastian's lips twitched in amusement. It sounded like Ciel was fed up with Lizzy now. Sebastian looked down at Grell, who had started to cling to him, as if he could sense that Sebastian was going to leave again. Sebastian removed himself from Grell's grasp easily, and stood up. "The young master is calling. I'll return when I'm finished." Sebastian drew out a key from his pocket and set it down on the bed next to Grell, before heading for the door, "Feel free to let Mr. Spears out of the other room...if you can." Sebastian left the door open, pausing in the doorway and casting a pleasant, yet dark smile over his shoulder at the red head, "And don't try to open the drawer, or you'll find your hands damaged for the next week or so."

Grell waited a minute or so after Sebastian had left, before slowly sitting up, biting his lip lightly as he did so. He did not feel good in the least. Grell picked up the key with a slightly shaky hand and stared at it. Would he be able to get to the other room and William without reopening all of his wounds? Grell almost didn't bother trying, until he thought about Sebastian toying with his emotions for information. Gritting his teeth, Grell managed to struggle up out of bed, swaying a little as he sought balance. Slowly, Grell made his way over to the door, where he clung to it for support as he waited for his injuries to stop throbbing so painfully.

Once he recovered, Grell got into the hallway, and over to the next door, where he sunk to his knees before he could unlock the door. Grell leaned up against the wall next to the locked door, feeling one of the larger wounds on his back reopen. Sucking in a breath to try and ignore the sharp feeling of pain that had started, Grell grit his teeth and forced himself up again and unlocked the door. Grell made it inside the room a few steps, before sinking to his hand and knees. He was going to reopen all of his wounds at this rate, but...

William heard the door open, and immediately could tell that it wasn't Sebastian. He was sure it was Grell, as whoever it was, was moving across the room with difficulty, gasping occasionally in pain. William couldn't say or do anything, so he held still, wondering if Grell were up to untying the knots. He didn't appear to be well. William wanted to tell Grell to hold still before he hurt himself more, but knew even if he could have talked that Grell wouldn't have listened. Once Grell's mind was set on a goal, he wasn't likely to be swayed until he accomplished it.

Grell saw that William was blindfolded and gagged, and tied to a chair. Though it looked as though William had tried to move and had fallen over onto his side, the chair still attached. _'Will...'_ Grell spotted William's deathscythe propped up against the wall nearby, but decided to get the gag and blindfold off first. Grell grabbed the deathscythe and knelt down in front of William, setting the deathscythe aside on the ground. With a little difficulty, Grell got the gag out and tossed it aside. Grell tugged the blindfold loose, recognizing it as William's tie. Meeting the other reaper's eyes, Grell spoke, "Are you all right, Will?"

William searched Grell's face for a moment, before nodding, a little awkward from lying sideways, "And you, Sutcliff?"

Grell gave a little shrug, "I don't know...how did Sebastian...?"

William looked away, "I was caught off guard. I hadn't expected him to take my deathscythe out of my hands." William glanced up at Grell, "Where is that demon?" His tone indicated that he was displeased with what Sebastian had done with Grell.

Grell shook his head a little, "Off to see the brat." He was a little hesitant to bring up what had happened nearly an hour ago between himself and Sebastian. When William didn't say anything more other than look at him, Grell winced as he picked up the deathscythe, "Hold still, William. I'll go slowly, in case I twitch."

While that wasn't a very comforting thought, William held perfectly still as Grell started to slowly snip through the ropes with the deathscythe. William could tell that Grell was being very careful not to accidentally cut him. Once he was free, William stretched a little, and spotting something glinting out of the corner of his eyes, reached over to the table and retrieved his glasses. Blinking as everything slid into focus, William turned and accepted his deathscythe from Grell, before putting his tie back in place. William was about to ask Grell if he were really all right, but instead let out a grunt of surprise as Grell slumped against him. "Grell, what's wrong?"

Grell didn't think much of William not calling him by his last name, and closed his eyes wearily as he spoke, "I think some of my wounds have reopened, and I'm sore from when Sebastian..." Grell cut himself off with a blush, and buried his face against one of William's shoulders, "I'm sorry, William...I couldn't stop him from..."

While William highly doubted that Grell was actually sorry about that, with what he knew about how Grell felt about Sebastian, yet he decided not to pursue the topic of intimacy with that demon. Especially not when William knew that all the demon was likely after was information, if what he had seen earlier had been any indication, "You'll need to have those wounds seen to again. I'll have to leave and go get someone again. I'll see if I can get Ronald Knox to come and keep an eye on you until you recover enough. I can stay occasionally, but I do have work to do."

Grell smiled a little, "You always seem to be working, Will. And Ronald would probably rather keep an eye on me than be anywhere near you at the moment anyway. He's still upset that he missed a party because you dumped all that overtime work on him a week ago."

William wore a very faint hint of what could have been a smile at the memory of the incident, before sighing, "I suppose I'll have him come then. He nearly slacks off as much as you do, Sutcliff, but at least he usually gets his work done."

Sebastian suddenly appeared in the doorway, "It won't be necessary to get anyone. It would be better if you two left now." Sebastian had managed to get Ciel to grudgingly agree to a dinner, and was currently being chattered at by Lizzy once more. Sebastian figured he had a half hour before the young master would wonder where he had gotten to other than the kitchen.

"Seeing as you are the cause for most of his wounds reopening, demon, I believe we do need to stay awhile longer, though I do not like the idea." William ignored Sebastian as he helped Grell to his feet. Once Grell was standing somewhat steadily and leaning against him, William turned to glare at Sebastian, "And it is necessary to stay. I am not yet prepared to explain to headquarters how Grell happened to be the only reaper attacked by a group of demons, even if he was the one to start the fight."

Sebastian wore an unhappy look about the prospect of a prolonged visit, and was about to voice it, when a demonic aura other than his own suddenly flared up. Sebastian had been uncharacteristically distracted, and hadn't noticed the demon until it had attacked.

William was forced to let go of Grell as he brought his deathscythe up to block an attack, and deflected it. William miscalculated the next attack thrown his way, as he hadn't been prepared for the force behind it. The resulting blast sent William flying across the room, where he nearly hit the wall.

The shock wave from the second attack hit Grell, and threw the injured reaper backward, into Sebastian, who took the hit without blinking and set aside the now unconscious red-head. Sebastian produced a handful of knives, prepared to attack the demonic intruder that had suddenly appeared in the middle of the room.

Said intruder shook grey streaked black hair out of his face as he observed Sebastian and his knives, amusement obvious in his yellow colored eyes, "So, there was another demon in the area after all." Taking in Sebastian's appearance, the demon grinned, "Heh. You don't look like much, do you? I suppose it's because of the contract. How boring. I told the others that you were nothing to worry about, but they insisted on a retreat anyway." The demon shook his head, "Why be in a contract when you only get one soul? In the space of a contract's time, you could already have had several souls. Aren't you hungry?"

Sebastian narrowed his eyes at the other demon. He wasn't in his true form, but had taken on the appearance of a human. The demon appeared to be pretending to be a noble, by the look of the expensive clothing. Sebastian smiled thinly, brandishing the knives, "I don't believe we have met before. You are?" Sebastian was only going to prolong the conversation long enough to get information, before this demon would follow the same fate as the one in the garden from months previous.

The demon waved a hand airily, as if names didn't matter so much as the topic of souls, "I'm going by Guthrie, for now. My brethren and I don't normally come into this area of the human world. But then we've come to the realization that there are fewer reapers in this region for the time being. Other places around the world have too many damn shinigami about." Guthrie ran a hand through his hair and glanced over at William, who tensed up nearby, ready to strike if he made a wrong move, to eying the unconscious Grell, before the yellow eyed demon sneered, "Reapers are always getting in the way of our meals. Far, out of the way areas are much easier places to find souls uninterrupted, but lately..." Guthrie quickly moved back a few steps out of the way of several knives, appearing intrigued when one cut him on the cheek. Casting a look in Sebastian's direction, Guthrie glanced down at Grell again, and spoke again, as if Sebastian hadn't just attacked him, "Did it talk? We spotted the reaper by itself, and since it wasn't paying attention to its surroundings, my brethren and I decided to go and have a chat with it. We were curious to see if it was true that there were fewer reapers in the area then there had been a few hundred years earlier." Guthrie dodged toward the window, but not before he got nicked by William's deathscythe, as evidenced by the hiss of pain and the wound that opened up on the demon's upper arm.

Sebastian was starting to get rather irritated with this talkative intruder. Sebastian's eyebrow twitched a bit, as the fool kept on talking, apparently oblivious to this fact, and the fact that William was continuing his attack. Sebastian knew that his kind tended to be arrogant, but this particular demon appeared to have an ego problem. It reminded him of Druitt and his antics on the _Campania_. Thinking they were important when they clearly weren't. More silverware appeared in Sebastian's hand.

"Perhaps I should finish that reaper off, so it can't talk when it does remember what we were talking about around it. Though being injured should keep it from remembering much," Guthrie mused aloud, apparently unaware that he was very close to getting his body peppered with sharp kitchen utensils. He was very aware, however, of the deathscythe that was managing to leave little wounds here and there. Guthrie needed to wrap this up quickly. He hadn't been expecting the reapers and the demon in one room. He had been trying to see if the object one of the other demons that had deserted had left with was here but Guthrie hadn't sensed anything.

Sebastian was currently deciding how fast he could shut the other demon up and get rid of it. Pompous demons that didn't know there place among others of their kin irked Sebastian to no end. While Guthrie wasn't as young as the other demon Sebastian had dispatched, the demon noble was nowhere near his age.

Unfortunately for Sebastian, William got to the chatty demon first, as Guthrie had been a bit preoccupied.

Guthrie stilled as the sharp point of William's deathscythe rested lightly against the base of his neck. It didn't overly seem to bother the demon, despite the potential damage it could do "Oh, I didn't think you'd be able to corner me so quickly. I've forgotten how well reapers can move about. Too bad I can't stay and play a little longer." Guthrie ducked as he heard the click of the deathscythe, and made his way over to the window. The demon paused and glanced back at Sebastian, as he finally seemed to realize Sebastian's rising ire, and, with a smile, started to mutter under his breath in an even cadence. He decided that he would distract Sebastian for the time being and give himself more time to figure out what he was going to do. Guthrie could always come back and break the spell off, kill the reaper, and retreat before Sebastian could get to him. And find where that damn object had disappeared to. Guthrie narrowed his eyes at Sebastian suspiciously as he cast the spell.

Sebastian immediately started moving toward Guthrie, cursing himself for being so careless when he realized that the other demon had started to cast a spell. The dark clad butler did not want to find out what kind of spell it was, even though he doubted the demon would be able to cause any lasting damage. Even though Guthrie was obviously very confident, Sebastian could tell that the other demon was weaker than him. And this translated to Guthrie not lasting very long in a battle if Sebastian could get to him before the spell was completed.

Guthrie hastily finished the spell with a few more words, as he had spotted Sebastian heading in his direction, fist held high with knives, and let out a hiss of pain as Sebastian managed to land a heavy, damaging attack across his chest. Guthrie retreated with one arm wrapped around his wounded chest. He hadn't expected Sebastian to act so quickly with a spell being cast on him. Deciding to worry about that later, Guthrie leapt backwards out the window, vanishing with a grin and a parting shot, "Have fun."

Sebastian relaxed his stance when he sensed that Guthrie was gone, inwardly hoping that the other demon would either be eaten by another demon, since he was wounded, or just not heal for a very long time. Sebastian was fairly certain he had managed to deal a critical blow. Sebastian glanced down to where Grell lay, and sighed. It seemed like he wouldn't be able to rid himself of Grell until the spell Guthrie cast had worn off. Sebastian knew that spells usually took a few days to wear off, unless the caster had to undo it. Sebastian doubted that this was the case, since he hadn't sensed much power in Guthrie. Still, it would take Sebastian a day or so to figure out what spell had been used, and what level it had been. After that, Sebastian would be able to figure out how long it would take for the spell to be broken.

William relaxed ever so slightly when it was clear that Guthrie was not coming back. Taking a few moments to collect his thoughts, William stood out of his defensive crouch, glad he had avoided injury. He walked over to where Sebastian was standing, and where Grell was curled up on the ground near him, unconscious. William surveyed the two of them for a moment, before speaking, "What did that demon do just now?"

Sebastian looked at William briefly, "The demon cast a spell." No doubt the other demon had an inkling that the object was in the manor. At least it didn't appear as though he had sensed it.

"What kind of a spell?" William questioned, in a tone that clearly said he really did not want to know. Just another thing he didn't want to have to think about. It meant that Grell was going to be stuck at the Phantomhive manor until the spell was gotten rid of. Joy. William hoped that he wouldn't hear too many complaints from Ronald about staying and keeping an eye on Grell.

"This." Sebastian stated simply, and, indicating Grell, walked approximately four feet away from the red headed reaper, and stopped.

William stared. There was suddenly a thin, silver chain wrapped around Sebastian's left forearm. William looked down the length of the chain, and saw that the other end of the silver chain was wrapped around Grell's right forearm, connecting the two together.

Sebastian tugged the chain irritably, "That demon, as you heard, is apparently the leader of the group that had attacked Grell. This spell is a type of binding, I believe. We can't be more than four feet away, as you can see. Otherwise, the chain appears." Sebastian let out another sigh, "Since he didn't seem very powerful, this is hopefully a temporary thing. It won't hurt us, but it will make any future fights rather inconvenient should they crop up before the spell is gone."

William didn't like the sound of this, "Do you have any idea how long this will last?" He didn't want to have Grell being so close to Sebastian, and resolved to get to Ronald there as quickly as possible.

Sebastian shook his head, "I cannot say at the moment. I'll have to study it. In the meantime, I can only hope that the spell will wear off as quickly as is possible."

William chose to ignore Sebastian as he picked Grell up, remembering that the red head had mentioned that some of his wounds had reopened. Those needed to be taken care of as soon as possible. William walked past Sebastian and left the room, taking Grell back into the room he had been using. Sebastian was forced to follow along after him, the chain not allowing him to remain far behind.

Sebastian noted, as he walked closer to the two reapers, that the chain did indeed vanish. It was interesting, but a nuisance. A lower-level but tricky, invasive spell. Sebastian was very displeased with what Guthrie had done, and if the other demons he was traveling around with didn't kill him, Sebastian would deal with him when he showed up again. Sebastian would not let this kind of insult stand. Sebastian cast a look over Grell. Not to mention he would have to explain just what Grell had done by bringing the object into the mansion. He could now recall that Guthrie had given him a suspicious look, and he likely was soon to have demons targeting the mansion to get the object back. And Sebastian was of the opinion to keep it. After all, he didn't see many demonic objects in the human realm.


	8. Chapter 8

Unaware of Sebastian's mounting ire against Guthrie, and what he would do to said demon if he ever showed his face again, William merely exited the room he had been momentarily tied up in. He was never going to let his guard down around that damn demon ever again. Only at the moment would William ignore him, because he knew that Sebastian really didn't want to be stuck all alone with an injured Grell. Turning to the right, William entered the room next door, carrying Grell carefully over to the bed, where Grell had been laying hours earlier. Eying the newly made bed, William pushed unpleasant thoughts about how the bed had been used most recently. Disgusting to think about it, really. Why Grell would accept advances from such a being was beyond him. Best not to think about it. Though that then led to thinking about Guthrie attacking them out of the blue, and William didn't particularly want to think about that either.

Shifting his hold on Grell, William pulled the sheets back, before laying Grell down carefully. After making Grell as comfortable as possible, William straightened up and turned to face Sebastian, who was standing nearby, wearing a small frown. William ignored this as he spoke, "I'm going to call the reaper from before to come back to see to all of Sutcliff's reopened wounds." Without another word, William turned and left the room. He knew that Sebastian didn't want to be all alone with Grell, but since Grell was currently unconscious, William knew that Sebastian wasn't likely to cause Grell any more pain. After all, there was still the spell the other demon had cast on them.

Sebastian watched William leave to go locate a phone, before turning his attention to where Grell lay unconscious. Sebastian tested again to see how far he could be away from Grell. Each time, he could only get about four feet away, before the thin silver chain appeared, and he could go no further, without resorting to dragging Grell around. Sebastian took a step or so toward Grell, and the chain vanished. Sebastian blinked. It was interesting, but a nuisance. Sebastian couldn't be an efficient butler if he had to drag Grell around while he did his work. An injured Grell would be unneeded baggage, and that was something Sebastian could do without.

Sebastian settled down on a chair, content to wait for William to return. Sebastian didn't feel like standing when he wasn't doing anything that required standing. And the young master wasn't there either. Sebastian made no movement when William returned minutes later with another shinigami in tow, who got to work on treating Grell's reopened wounds. Sebastian ignored reality for a moment, and wondered instead about the black cat in the garden, and hoped the poor thing was getting enough to eat, as he hadn't been around recently to feed her. And that he should perhaps move her to a safer place in case Guthrie or the other demons did decide to come back again, looking for the item Grell had so foolishly picked up.

While William kept a close eye on Sebastian, said demon was extremely disinterested in the entire process happening not feet away, as his thoughts were still currently on the black coated feline. A distraction in the form of Ronald came, who poked his head into the room.

"Sir, you're needed back at headquarters," Glancing at the sleeping Grell, he added, "You want me to stay here while you're gone?"

William decided more damage really couldn't be done here, and nodded, "Yes, stay here, for now. I'll return when I'm done." William passed by Ronald, who glanced between the unconscious Grell and a displeased Sebastian, and then to the other reaper, who had just finished taking care of Grell's reopened wounds.

The reaper, finished, nodded to Ronald, before leaping out the way William had left. Leaving Sebastian alone with a still asleep Grell, and a bemused younger reaper. This displeased the demonic butler greatly.

Just when Sebastian thought he'd have to watch Grell sleep, and make sure Ronald didn't wander off, the door opened again, revealing a rather annoyed Ciel, who still hadn't quite gotten over the fact that Sebastian hadn't rescued him from Lizzy earlier, and had to order him to do so. In short, Ciel was trying to figure out how to get back at Sebastian. Ciel stared at what he had walked in on, his mind starting to churn out possible fitting punishments.

Ciel observed Sebastian and Grell silently for a moment, casting a glance over at a smiling Ronald Knox, before turning back to Sebastian, slightly harried. It was one thing to see Grell still around, but it was another thing to see Ronald there as well. The younger reaper's presence made Ciel frown as he spoke, "What exactly are you doing in here, Sebastian?" Was Grell the reason that Sebastian hadn't responded to him immediately? Ciel had thought that Sebastian disliked Grell immensely...so why had Sebastian bothered to stay around Grell, instead of just leaving Grell and William (or Ronald, as it appeared as though William had left) alone after showing them to the room?

Sebastian, in response, stood and moved approximately four feet away from Grell, so that the thin silver chain appeared. Sebastian flicked his gaze to Ciel, who was staring impassively at his butler, awaiting a more detailed explanation. Withholding a sigh, Sebastian spoke up, "A demon appeared here recently, and cast a spell. It left before I could destroy it." And Guthrie was dead as soon as Sebastian laid eyes on him again. Very dead.

A faint smile appeared on Ciel's face, as he realized that this meant that Sebastian was stuck with Grell for a while. It was an amusing way to get back at Sebastian for all those extra hours of tutoring, instead of getting to play games. At least the case the Queen had given him would keep him occupied, though so far there hadn't been enough information to figure out why people were dying in the villages or the hospital. Ciel's lips curled into an almost smile, "I'll have the other servants help out around the mansion, until Grell is well enough to move around, so you can start doing your duties as butler again." Ciel turned to leave, "Unless you can get rid of that spell, I suppose. If you learn anything relevant to the case, let me know." Ciel paused, and then added, "Do you know where those funeral pendants are? I wanted to look at them again."

Sebastian furrowed his brow, "They are in the lounge in the drawer." He watched Ciel leave, already plotting ways at getting back at his young master for this. Ciel knew he disliked Grell.

Ronald raised his brows at the door Ciel had left through, "Wow, still a nasty kid, huh?"

"I would appreciate silence until your superior get back. It would be unfortunate to have two injured reapers for him to have to deal with." Sebastian lowered himself onto the chair near the bed again, preparing to wait awhile for Grell to wake up. Sebastian couldn't really go anywhere else, unless he wanted to carry Grell around. Which Sebastian had no desire to do. All in all, Sebastian was very unhappy with his situation, and was itching to punish someone for this.

Ronald had fallen silent, before he decided he didn't like Sebastian trying to tell him what to do.

Sebastian leaned his head to one side, avoiding Ronald lashing out at him with his knife at him. The demon's eyes gleamed dangerously, as he reached out and caught Ronald's wrist, surprising the other. Sebastian offered a thin smile, "Do you really want to play, reaper? I can only move four feet away from Grell, and should we get too vigorous in a fight, he may end up falling off the bed and reopening his wounds again."

Ronald frowned, but tugged his hand out of Sebastian's grip, stowing the knife away with a sigh that almost sounded disappointed.

-x

Grell woke up, laying still as he pieced together what had happened. Grell remembered that a demon had attacked William, then turned and attacked himself and Sebastian. Grell assumed that he must have been knocked unconscious. Otherwise, he wouldn't be lying in a bed. Grell moved his arm, and noted, to his surprise, that his reopened wounds had been treated again, meaning that he'd been out for a least a few hours. Grell felt as if he was being watched, and when he glanced to the side, he spotted Ronald leaning against the wall, and Sebastian seated in a chair, next to the bed, staring at him. Rather surprised to see the demon, as well as Ronald, it took Grell a moment to think of anything to say, and settled with, "W...What are you doing here, Ronald?"

Ronald shrugged casually, "Waiting for Mr. Spears to come back."

Grell turned his eyes on the lounging demon, "Sebastian?"

Sebastian considered his answer. He really didn't want Grell to know about the spell so soon. Deciding that it was inevitable that Grell would eventually find out about their predicament, Sebastian spoke, "The demon who attacked us cast a spell on the two of us before he retreated."

Grell carefully propped himself up against some pillows, wincing and blushing when he realized that he wasn't just sore from being hit by the other demon's attack shock-wave. Then, what Sebastian said sunk in. A spell? But...he didn't feel any different. And Sebastian didn't appear to be either, otherwise Grell would have hoped that Sebastian would be sitting on the bed next to him, "What kind of spell was it?" It must have been a rather boring one, since it didn't appear to have left any lasting signs on either himself or Sebastian. Pity.

Sebastian stood up again, and walked four feet away from Grell, and stopped when the thin silver chain appeared around his left forearm, and waited for Grell's response. He was expecting the worst. Knowing what he knew about the reaper, Grell was likely to be quite happy.

Grell looked at the chain around Sebastian's forearm, before following the length of the chain, where the end wrapped around his right forearm, "This is what the spell did?" Receiving no reply, Grell gave the chain a little tug, before smiling faintly, "I guess this means that I get you to myself for a while." No response.

An embarrassed cough came from across the room, and Grell growled at the younger reaper, "Can you leave the room for now, Ronald? I want to be alone with Sebastian."

Ronald rolled his eyes, and after a silent exchange of glances, Ronald left the room, closing the door behind him. Grell waited a few moments, before turning his attention to the demon once more. Seeing that Sebastian almost appeared to be uncomfortable, Grell said, in a teasing voice, "All alone, trapped in the same room, chained to one another~. Ooh~." Let Sebastian make of that what he would.

"We are not trapped in the room, as evidenced by your coworker walking out the door. I could, however, drag you around with the chain." Sebastian responded with a stern expression, again wondering why this was happening to him.

Grell grinned playfully, "Does this mean you'll cuddle with me when I go to sleep?"

"No."

At the flat refusal, Grell merely grinned more widely, and with a slight flinch, tugged on the chain sharply, causing the butler to stumble forward, as he hadn't been prepared for Grell to try that just yet. Before Sebastian could regain his balance, Grell got a hold of him and managed to get him partially onto the bed. Grell noted that the chain vanished when he and Sebastian were near one another. The sound of kitchenware chinking out caught Grell's attention, and he glanced to the side to see Sebastian holding a knife and giving him a meaningful look.

Grell, completely unconcerned with the sight, managed to sit up and lean against Sebastian, who tensed up at the sudden contact. Grell trailed a finger along Sebastian's nearest leg, "Can we stay like this, Se-bas-chan~?" In answer, Grell found himself being moved back to where he had been lying before on his side. Grell wore a disappointed frown when Sebastian sat back down on the chair once more, "Sebastian?" The demon was being no fun at the moment. No fair.

"I cannot go anywhere when you're injured like this. Get some rest so that you can recover more quickly." Sebastian said, looking anywhere in the room, trying to ignore the red head's hurt expression. He was trying to decide what to do, and delaying things would give Guthrie more of a chance to come back snooping for the object that Grell had foolishly picked up and brought into the manor.

Grell would have appreciated the statement if Sebastian had actually been concerned for his well-being. Instead, it seemed like Sebastian was merely annoyed that he couldn't do anything until the red head recovered. Grell grinned, winced, and then sighed. Maybe when he was a little better they could play for a little while...Eventually Grell drifted off again, since Sebastian wasn't offering to talk to him or do anything other than sit in the chair and look gloomy. Though, he did look very attractive sitting there like that.

Sebastian, meanwhile, was now trying to figure out how long the spell would last, and if there was any way to get rid of it before then. He did not want to be around Grell for long, otherwise Spears would find himself one employee short.

-x

William, back at headquarters, was trying to get through all of the information being brought to him by other reapers. He had had a conversation with a few of the reapers there, about how the demons that had appeared, and how one of them had gone back and attacked, but then promptly left again, hopefully this time for good. It was unfortunate, however, that they had also received the news that one of the reapers sent to investigate the odd soul movements and humans dying earlier than scheduled had turned up dead. It was assumed that the other reaper was unlikely to be in any better shape once located.

After William sorted things out, he left headquarters again, and with a grim expression, headed back to the Phantomhive mansion. He carried paperwork with him to work on, as William wanted to keep an eye on Sebastian. William didn't want to get behind on his work because of that demon. Keeping Ronald around might prove useful, but he was thinking of sending him back in order to get updates on the situation. Especially news about how the reaper that had died had ended up as such.

-x

Grell had had a few hours good sleep, and woke up feeling as refreshed as he could be with his injuries. Grell tilted his head and saw Sebastian still sitting on the chair, though his eyes were currently closed, as if resting. Grell knew that it was doubtful that Sebastian was actually asleep, as he didn't need it. However, it allowed Grell to admire him, hopefully without the demon catching him doing so.

Sebastian sensed Grell's eyes on him, but kept his own eyes closed for the time being, thinking about the limited options he had to deal with Grell. He had sensed, while Grell was sleeping, that a subtle magic had been used on him, when he had been in the fight with the group of demons. Sebastian opened his eyes, and fixed them on the redhead. After a moment of silence, Sebastian asked, "How are your injuries healing?" He had a feeling what magic had been used on Grell, but he wanted to confirm his suspicions first.

Grell frowned a little bit at the question, as if thinking about it for the first time, "It feels...like they're healing like a human's...maybe even slower than that." Why hadn't he noticed that before? What was wrong with him?

Sebastian would have rather let Grell heal at that pace, as magic of that kind would wear off after a few days. Sebastian decided that he didn't want to have to wait any longer than needed for Grell to be able to move around on his own. Sebastian didn't want to be stuck in a room with Grell for much longer.

Grell wondered what was going through Sebastian's mind as he watched the demon, and tensed up a bit as the black clad butler approached the bed. Grell wore a nervous expression as Sebastian stared down at him with a contemplative expression. "Sebastian?" Grell questioned hesitantly, flushing a bit when Sebastian set a hand on his bandaged chest. What did Sebastian think he was doing? Not that he minded where Sebastian had placed his hand.

"Hold still," Sebastian said simply, and once he felt Grell still further, Sebastian muttered a spell under his breath, which counteracted the spell one of the other demons had used on Grell. It was a simple spell, one that had prevented Grell's wounds from healing at a normal pace. If Sebastian hadn't been bound to the reaper by a spell, he wouldn't have bothered assisting Grell. Sebastian would have hoped that the injured reaper would have recovered enough to leave with Ronald and William, and had a longer recovery period, therefore leaving him alone for a while longer. Sebastian backed away from Grell and sat down again. Guthrie had caused him an unnecessary amount of trouble.

Sebastian frowned a little. Should he go and find Guthrie and make him undo the spell, or try to pinpoint how long the spell would last? Vaguely, Sebastian could tell that he had gotten rid of the demonic magic that had prevented Grell from healing as he normally would. Grell would take a few days to finish healing, if not a week, and that was fine with Sebastian. It would give him time to think of his other problems.

Grell, meanwhile, was feeling as if a weight had been lifted from him, and he was already feeling much better than before. With the exception of his healing wounds hurting, of course. Grell could already tell that the deeper wounds would take longer to heal. Grell looked up at Sebastian, realizing what the demon had done, "Thank you" Grell assumed that Sebastian hadn't helped him out of compassion, which disappointed him.

Sebastian said nothing in response, already regretting his actions with the way Grell was looking at him now. He saw that Grell was about to speak, and Sebastian hoped that Grell wouldn't start suggesting he get on the bed so he could thank him 'properly'. Sebastian did not need that at the moment.

Sebastian didn't get to hear what Grell had to say, as William had appeared in the window frame, wearing a displeased frown, for the fact that Ronald was not in the room. Suddenly, Sebastian was almost, _almost_ preferring that Grell make suggestive advances, as he did not want to see the dark haired shinigami. Who was currently glaring at him as if he were going to attack. Sebastian sighed. The day couldn't get any worse.

Unfortunately for Sebastian, it was about to, in the form of one impatient Ciel Phantomhive.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

And that is it for revisions. Any further revisions to the story will be made once the story has actually been completed.


	9. Chapter 9

FYI: While the story is more or less the same, I'd recommend rereading/scanning through the past 8 chapters before continuing on, as the changes that have been made affect the plot now. Edit: Fixed some errors I spotted, hence why I took it down for a moment.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Ciel had put Undertaker's chain of funeral pendants in a bag, and was heading for the manor's front doors when he spotted someone coming toward him. Ciel stopped short, realizing that it was Snake, who had two of his snakes curled and resting lightly on either of his shoulders. Ciel shuddered inwardly, as he couldn't imagine having something potentially lethal so close all the time. Ciel covered his mouth with a hand as he smiled faintly, thinking about Sebastian, and the way that he was practically always by his side.

Snake spotted Ciel as well, and headed over to him, fidgeting slightly before speaking. "Where is Black?" Snake indicated the snake on his right shoulder, "Says Goethe."

Ciel appraised Snake for a moment, before he responded, "Taking care of some business for me. I need to head out for a moment." Ciel turned and opened the door, "Do you know how to drive a coach?"

"..Yes."

"Then come with me. I need to get to London, as I'm following up on a lead for my investigation."

Snake was silent as he followed Ciel out of the manor and to the coach. Snake settled on the driver's seat and took up the reigns.

Ciel's lips set as a snake came slithering in to the coach to rest next to him in a tight coil.

"The air is cold. Keep me warm?" A pause, "Says Emily."

Ciel held back a sigh as the horse began to trot, taking to coach along. He hoped Sebastian wouldn't notice Snake's presence leaving the mansion as well.

-x

William eyed Sebastian with distaste, but he didn't overlook the fact that Grell looked quite a bit better than he had even an hour ago. William's gaze zeroed in on Sebastian, "What did you do?"

Sebastian looked displeased, but as he had already told Grell, he might as well let William know. Keeping himself four feet away from the red head, thus making the silver chain visible again, Sebastian responded smoothly, "I made the decision to remove the spell that had been preventing him from healing, as I will soon need to run errands and such for my master. Mr. Grell running under his own power is preferable to having to carry him around."

William looked distinctly harried at the thought that Sebastian could have helped Grell sooner, and then decidedly unhappy at the thought of Grell being taken anywhere with Sebastian where other reapers in the area might see them.

Grell, on the other hand, looked like he liked the idea of being carried, then became pouty at the realization that Sebastian could have removed the spell before trying to get information to him. Already, Grell could tell that his wounds were healing, and that his breathing was a lot easier. He was feeling well enough, in fact, to slide off the bed and edge nearer to Sebastian, despite William's presence and the fact that Sebastian was moving away from him bit by bit.

While William didn't like what Grell was doing, at all, he had some sort of satisfaction that the demon was clearly uncomfortable with the attention. Waiting until Grell was within reach of Sebastian, William decided to let the demon know what he had found out coming up to see Grell, "I really don't care for the fact that your master isn't around to make you behave. Despite the fact that another demon attacked us, I still believe you to be the culprit behind some of the humans dying sooner than they were scheduled to be."

Sebastian froze, not seeming to care or notice that Grell had latched on to one of his arms as he stretched his senses. Ciel wasn't in the mansion anymore, yet Sebastian didn't sense any demons nearby, meaning that Ciel had left of his own accord. Giving his arm a light shake, Sebastian spoke with a resigned sigh, "It seems my young master is impatient to find out more information. I need to go to his side and see that he doesn't get into trouble." Deciding he didn't know how quickly Grell would heal, Sebastian made the decision to scoop Grell up, bridal style, and leap out the nearest window. While he wanted to deal with the object Grell had brought to the mansion, getting his master back to the manor was a priority.

William was about to follow them, when Ronald came into the room. The two reapers eyed one another, before William spoke, "Ronald Know, you will stay here until I tell you to return to headquarters. Grell will be back shortly." That said, William turned and followed Sebastian's path out the window.

Ronald was left behind utterly confused, and then utterly devastated. He had a date with a secretary that night, and there seemed like no way he'd get back by then.

"Oh, I can't believe I forgot to change the clothes!"

Ronald perked up and poked his head out the door, glancing at the sight of a red haired maid running down the hall in high heeled shoes and struggling to keep the clothes in her hands from falling all over the place. Ronald smiled. She looked familiar. Ronald almost skipped down the hall to Mey-rin, catching the clothes that came tumbling out of her hands, as well as stopping her from falling to the ground.

"Oh, I am sorry, yes I am. I think I was carrying too many clothes." Mey-rin adjusted her glasses, before she realized that it was not Sebastian, but a grinning reaper that greeted her sight, "Oh, you're…"

Ronald made a light bow, despite the clothes in his arms, "Ronald Knox, miss. I believe I said I'd treat you to tea, but since I have orders to stay here, hows about we go to the kitchen and have some?"

Mey-rin was flustered as she was led down the hallway, a smiling Ronald leading her along by one arm, "Oh my, I couldn't. I have chores."

"I'll help you then." Came the cheerful reply. Ronald decided not going back to headquarters had some perks.

-x

William caught up with Sebastian, and resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the sight of a boneless Grell in the demon's arms, like he couldn't believe Sebastian was carrying him. William finally made eye contact with the other reaper, "I need to get back and see if anything more has been found out about the demons. I believe Ronald to be competent, but I never know if he will be distracted at an inopportune moment."

Grell's lips quirked at that. Distracted indeed, if hitting on the secretaries was what William was hinting at.

William cast a look at Sebastian, before looking back to the red head, "Do try to not divulge any further information, if you can help it. I'll return as soon as I am able to." Seeing the nod of assent from Grell, William changed directions and was soon lost from view.

Grell made himself comfortable in Sebastian's arms, leaning slightly against his chest and trailing a finger along the tie lightly.

Sebastian more or less ignored what the reaper in his arms was doing, as he headed right for London, as his mind was currently elsewhere. Why was his young master being so impatient? Sebastian was silent for a moment, only running and sending the occasional hand slap at Grell to prevent the reaper from unbuttoning his tailcoat. Then, Sebastian began to scowl as a thought occurred to him. He recalled the previous night's events, and that Ciel, after amusing himself with the sight of Sebastian's predicament, had casually inquired about the pendants they had acquired from the _Campania_.

Sebastian knew he should have found it suspicious that Ciel had said that he wanted to look more closely at them, as he and Ciel had been doing that for countless months already, and still no information could be garnered from the lockets. Ciel had subsequently lost interest after that. The fact that Ciel had left the manor he had likely taken the item with him, and that meant only one thing in the demon's mind.

Ciel was going to go see Undertaker.

-x

Ciel was aware that there was the potential of a demon appearing in the surrounding area, but Ciel was confident that Sebastian would be able to come to his aid, whether or not he had to cart Grell around to do it. Ciel still found it amusing that another demon had managed to get a spell in, and that Sebastian almost seemed offended, as if he couldn't believe he had allowed it to even happen.

Ciel had Snake slow the coach as they neared London, before he began the arduous task of locating Undertaker's new shop. Much to Ciel's surprise, five minutes into his search for the building Undertaker had told him about, Undertaker himself suddenly before him. Snake pulled the reigns sharply, and the horse whinnied and came to a halt, snorting and tossing its head at the sudden appearance of the other being.

Undertaker snickered into his sleeve at the sight of Snake attempting to get the horse under control, before he turned his head and appeared to survey Ciel, who had glanced out the coach at him. Undertaker's bangs were back in place, hiding his eyes, and somehow Ciel didn't quite believe that was how he had hidden his presence from Sebastian.

The two stared at one another silently as the crowd passed them by.

Undertaker broke the silence after he had deduced that Ciel was indeed alone, as the sight of Snake didn't trouble him, before he began to smile, "I was wondering when you'd come to find me." There was a brief flash of an intelligent eye and Undertaker's smile widened, "I think we should retire to my shop. It can keep out prying eyes." Undertaker motioned for Ciel to follow after him down an alley. Undertaker swept down the street at an eerily calm, unhurried pace, and Ciel nodded to Snake, who got the coach moving once more. Undertaker came to a stop in front of a nondescript building after a few minutes, "Have your footman wait here." A side street right next to the building was indicated with the wave of a bulky sleeve.

Snake stopped the horse once more, and Ciel emerge from the coach, and glanced up at Snake, "I'll be back shortly."

Snake looked back at Ciel, as Emily slithered back onto his shoulder from the inside of the coach. He glanced at her, then back to Ciel, "Don't take too long. I'll miss you." Snake tilted a finger at the snake, "Says Emily."

Ciel kept a neutral look on his face as he turned and walked over to where Undertaker was waiting for him.

With an eerie smile, Undertaker opened the door of the shop and beckoned Ciel to come inside, "Come in, earl, and let's see what I can tell you about your problems…" He lowered his voice, so that Snake couldn't hear, "...of the demonic kind."

From Undertaker's mentions of demons, Ciel had little doubt that, like Sebastian, Undertaker had sensed the other demons. Ciel was a bit unnerved that the mortician had locked the door as soon as he had walked inside, and even more so when Undertaker ran a hand along the door and muttered something, before moving back across the room to take a seat behind the desk.

Ciel removed his hat and sat at the chair in front of the desk, almost scowling at it because it meant that Undertaker had been expecting him.

"You have it?"

"Yes."

Both of them knew that Ciel wouldn't have come if that weren't the case.

Undertaker chuckled a little, "I wonder how worked up your butler will be when he figures out you left and then can't locate you."

Ciel settled more comfortably in the chair, "As long as I learn something of use, he won't be able to call me on it. After all, I've had enough people telling me that I can't do things on my own without Sebastian."

"Can you now? I was under the impression that you relied on the butler exclusively."

Ciel offered a faint smile, "I came to see you, didn't I?"

Undertaker gave the earl with an approving grin, "That you did, earl, and since seeing your butler upset will be more than enough payment, I'll gladly help with whatever you are snooping around for this time."

Without being asked, Ciel drew the chain of pendant out and passed it over to Undertaker's outstretched hand.

Undertaker took it from Ciel gingerly, and after examining it to make sure it was all there, attached it back to his robes once more. That done, Undertaker's small frown had stretched back into a smile. Undertaker ran a hand through his hair and shook the bangs slightly, in order to allow his eyes to be seen.

Ciel pressed himself against the back of the char, not quite sure whether being stared at by Undertaker was creepier with his eyes visible or not. The two toned eyes reflected the smile on Undertaker's lips, and Ciel decided that while it was unnerving, it was better than trying to figure out what he was thinking when they were hidden by the bangs.

Undertaker glanced past Ciel with a blink of his eyes, and his smile widened, "It seems your butler was quick to notice your absence." Undertaker transferred his gaze to Ciel once more, "Ask your questions, earl. I made sure that no demon or shinigami will be able to detect my presence, especially when I happen to be in this shop. Seeing that Ciel was about to say something, Undertaker waved a hand dismissively, "I set up some spells this time around."

Ciel decided to get to the point. Either Undertaker knew something useful, or he didn't, "I've been asked by the queen to look into the matter of three villages and a hospital, where it has been reported that people who were otherwise healthy have dropped dead, for no apparent reason. In the hospital's case, the staff there believes that some patients were supposed to have lived longer or gotten better, but found the patients dead and decided that perhaps they had been mistaken." Ciel looked Undertaker in the eyes, "Is this the work of demons from the places that this has occurred?"

Undertaker intertwined his fingers and smiled, "Yes, they are. At least in the case of the hospital you are alluding to. I still get customers, you know, and I can tell whether a body still has a soul in it or not, even without the list. I can tell especially well when there are no apparent wound on the deceased's body." Undertaker frowned thoughtfully, "I haven't gotten any customers from any villages lately from outside of London, so I can't be sure of the culprits unless I see some of the bodies."

"If we were to go to those villages, would you be able to tell from the condition of their bodies?" Ciel questioned.

Undertaker's eyes glinted, "By 'we' I'm assuming you and your butler as well as myself." Undertaker leaned back in his chair and gave a light shrug, "I've no reason to objection to doing such a thing, as I could get a laugh out of it, however..." The playful tone was gone as Undertaker fixed Ciel with a piercing stare, "That demon may still be a bit inclined to attack me for what I did back on the ship, and I don't feel the need to fight with him. Not yet, anyway." Undertaker glanced at the door again, wearing a small frown once more, and then added, "Even if you were to tell hm to not start a fight, demons are likely to look for ways to get around orders." Undertaker smiled lightly at Ciel, "I'm sure you've experienced that before, so you must understand my reluctance to agree to such a thing."

"If I made the order specific enough, Sebastian will have to listen. Besides, even he should see the use of a shinigami who has no ties to the other reapers." Ciel responded, even if he was hesitant of traveling to the villages with him and Sebastian, along with the added nuisance that was Grell. It was something he'd rather not deal with, but it was necessary if he wanted to get his investigation moving from a standstill.

Undertaker tapped one hand against the table, fingernails clicking against the tabletop, "If you can order him like you say, then I'll travel with you to the villages for your answers. In return, I want to have sanctuary at your manor, to better view your little escapade, and to not have to defend myself against your butler or the reapers that might stop by."

Ciel didn't like how the word defend made him think that Undertaker wasn't worried about being the one being injured. Ciel nodded after a moment, "Very well, so long as you leave when this is all over, and you keep our prior agreement in order."

Undertaker's eyes danced with dark humor, "Agreed, though the next time you come to call for help, I'll expect payment, and I'll be very interested in whether you'll be able to manage without your demon to help you. That little display for information about missing children won't cut it like last time."

Ciel stood up and placed his hat back onto his head, "I hope I'll be able to avoid such a thing, but..." Ciel trailed off and shook his head, "In any case, I think I should go out first, so that Sebastian doesn't see you right away."

Undertaker rose smoothly and headed over to the door, running his hand over the door and muttering something. He stepped back, and Ciel opened the door, stepping outside and taking his eye patch off as he went.

Ciel had expected to get to the coach and have Snake get them a few buildings away before his butler found him. What Ciel hadn't expected was to barely take a few steps out of the door, and find his path blocked by one highly irate demon, who was carrying one content Grell. Ciel could tell in an instant that Sebastian had realized who he had gone to see, and just how unhappy he was about it, if the way he dropped Grell was anything to go by. The demon's hands were twitching, as if Sebastian longed to grab Ciel and shake him, but apparently thought better of it, and opted to instead stare fiercely at Ciel.

Ciel smirked at the sight of his usually unflappable demon butler, the smile increasing in its intensity when Sebastian was momentarily distracted by Grell latching onto one of his legs. Giving Sebastian this particular order was going to please Ciel immensely. More than hoping to see Sebastian eventually fail at something, Ciel also loved to see Sebastian agitated and losing his cool. Although Ciel decided he didn't like that agitation was directed at him. No matter. He'd worry about that later.

It was time to give the order to one very unhappy demonic butler.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Finally, an actual update!

If you didn't read my note about revisions/updates, thanks again for being patient for these past two years. I hadn't wanted to update this story when I had no idea how to get it to the ending. I had hit a mental roadblock for this story, and had to think about it before continuing. It was the lack of a plot that did it for me, so once that was resolved, I decided to go back and revise the story that I had so far. I do have an ending for this story, and about 3-5 chapter outlines but I am unsure how long it will take to get to the last chapter (As the outline I currently have isn't anywhere near half done). So more story for you guys to read. Ah, and let me know what you think of the changes.

From the plot I made, it seems like it may be drawn out a bit more than I had anticipated. So, hopefully there'll be enough action between the information gathering, since I gave Ciel an investigation to look in to. Plus I completely changed Undertaker's role in this story, as I have found I like how he is being portrayed in the manga (plus I wanted to give Ciel a chance to do something on his own). And argh I can't remember. Are the lockets Undertaker has lockets, pendants, funeral pendants or what? Not that they'll show up again but perhaps in passing (I doubt that Ciel would just give them back to Undertaker, no questions asked, but for the purpose of this story, that's what I'm doing).

Obviously it wont take so long to get to the next few chapters. It is a matter of typing them up and editing them. At the moment, though, my temp job involves computers, so lately I haven't been able to stare at the computer screen for long without it straining my eyes. But it certainly won't take me years to update now that I've got a handle on the story again.


	10. Chapter 10

Sebastian stopped short when he spotted Ciel as he emerged from a nondescript building. The demon butler relaxed visibly, as he did not sense any other demonic presences in the area. He ignored Grell, pretending to be unaware of the offended looks the red head was throwing his way. Sebastian frowned a little as he watched Ciel take a few steps forward, toward the coach. Still, if Ciel was in London to see who he thought he was going to see…then why did Ciel look unharmed? Did Undertaker really only have interest in attacking him, a demon, and not Ciel?

Grell wasn't in the best of moods, because a few times on the way to London, Sebastian had nearly dragged him by the chain. The demon had been moving a bit too quickly for him to completely keep up. Not to mention that he was still tired. Grell was therefore relieved when Sebastian slowed down, but could tell that, even though Sebastian's stance had relaxed, that there was something bothering him. It was kind of fascinating to watch, as Grell was used to Sebastian being unflappable, with hardly anything bothering him in the least. Grell smirked a little, "Is your brat doing something he shouldn't be?"

Sebastian slid a glance at Grell, before deciding that the other was likely to notice Undertaker should the mortician choose to show himself, "I believe my young master is impatient about his investigation, and has perhaps gone to seek out Undertaker for advice."

Grell frowned a little, "The ex-reaper is still in London? Wouldn't he have left?" Grell put crossed his arms and huffed irritably, "Why can't I sense his presence? There have been a lot of shinigami looking for him to question him about the _Campania_ incident, but no one can find him."

"You couldn't sense his presence before, so why would that change?" Sebastian responded distractedly, trying to figure out whether to to just step in front of Ciel or wait for him back at the manor. Sebastian figured that Ciel would expect him to notice his absence and come to find him, and it was then that Sebastian spotted Undertaker standing in the doorway to the shop that Ciel had just left. Sebastian began to move forward, his eyes flashing dangerously at the sight of the ex-reaper. So it had been as Sebastian had thought, and his young master had gone to see the Undertaker. Without a word, Sebastian surged forward, Grell hurrying to keep pace with him (as he didn't want to be dragged by the chain, _again_).

Sebastian loomed before Ciel, and withheld a smile as his sudden appearance had startled his young master. Seeing that Ciel was unharmed, Sebastian considered dealing with Undertaker. After all, he wasn't that far away, as Undertaker was standing in the frame of the doorway. Sebastian found it a bit odd that Undertaker was so at ease. The mortician was grinning, albeit a bit eerily, as his two-toned eyes danced with amusement. What was so funny to the Undertaker soon became clear when Sebastian heard Ciel speak, and the demon realized with a start that the boy wasn't wearing the eye patch.

"Sebastian, this is an order. You are not to physically harm or cause any inconvenience to Undertaker throughout the investigation, nor any time after it is resolved, unless I state otherwise."

Sebastian's eyes flashed again, but decided that becoming upset would only give Ciel satisfaction with the knowledge that what he was doing was causing Sebastian a great disservice to not be able to attack the ex-shinigami. Sebastian's body relaxed, again, and though disappointed, he gave Ciel an approving smile. Even if he didn't care for the order, Sebastian could still appreciate his young master for being so devious.

Ciel offered a tiny smirk in response, "Undertaker will be staying at the manor during the investigation,"

The smile on Sebastian' face froze, and became strained. His young master was a truly devious for his age.

Undertaker, once he had decided that it was safe, came fully out of the shop, closing the door behind him. Undertaker laughed softly into his overlong sleeve, and slid a mischievous look Sebastian's way, "Demons must find it taxing to follow orders while under contract."

Sebastian smiled, though there was soft menace in his words, "Indeed, although normally we don't have to worry about being limited in what we can do, should someone raise our ire." Though Sebastian did not see Undertaker carrying anything on his person, the demon butler didn't doubt that Undertaker could quite easily bring forth his scythe at any time.

Undertaker gave what he must have believed to be an innocent smile, "Who, me? I was merely trying to assist the earl by ridding the world and him of a dangerous beast." Undertaker tilted his head as he studied Sebastian through his long bangs, "Pity I can't do it now, as destroying you without a fight would be rather dull." Undertaker grinned and swept up close to Sebastian, "Besides, for the time being, I believe the fact that other demons might be around will makes things become quite amusing."

Grell took a discreet step away from Sebastian as he sensed that the demon was beginning to let off his demonic aura. Likely due to the fact that Undertaker had dared to come so close to him. Grell even saw Sebastian's hands twitch, as if he longed to lash out at Undertaker but couldn't. Grell was distracted, however, when Undertaker chose to invade his personal space.

"Your face looks like it has healed just fine from that little incident on the ship." Undertaker said with a sly smile.

Grell leaned away from the now leering Undertaker, before the other's words sunk in. Abruptly, Grell stopped leaning away and tensed in the other's direction. The red headed reaper locked eyes with Undertaker, and his deathscythe materialized from thin air. Clutching the chainsaw tightly, Grell growled dangerously at the other being, "I said I won't forgive you for cutting my face." Grell was about to lunge at Undertaker, when Sebastian suddenly grabbed him from behind, and held on tightly, though it was clear from Sebastian's expression that he would have liked to take the deathscythe from Grell and do what the redhead likely wanted to do to Undertaker. Slice him up, a lot.

Sebastian spoke matter of factly as he dragged Grell back a bit, "If I can't harm him, I won't let you get the chance to either." The demon butler shot Undertaker a glare of displeasure, but fell silent and concentrated on holding Grell back, as the red headed shinigami was quite a bit stronger than he looked.

Ciel, despite finding both his butler and Grell entertaining, decided to put an end to the antics for the time being, "Let's head back to the manor for now, and figure out what to do next." Without looking to see if the others were following him, Ciel entered the coach, settling on one side. Sebastian entered soon after, seating himself next to his young master. This meant that Grell had to sit on the opposite side of the coach next to Undertaker, much to Grell's obvious displeasure.

Grell leaned up against the side of the coach to avoid having to bush up against Undertaker, but in doing so, caused the silver chain between himself and Sebastian to appear.

Undertaker's attention was drawn to the chain, and he appeared to be intrigued by it. Then, he promptly found it to be quite hilarious, "Losing you edge, butler?" Undertaker asked teasingly, as the coach rocked slightly, as Snake had just urged the horse into motion.

Ciel quickly stepped in to prevent Sebastian from saying what was sure to be a snappy retort, "If _those_ beings are responsible responsible for the villagers' deaths, would they be able to sense Sebastian if he were to go to those villages to investigate?" Ciel left the question open to be answered by any in the coach. Ciel had also been sure to keep his voice low, as to not let Snake hear him.

Sebastian cast a glance at Grell, before turning back to Ciel, "As we're headed back to the manor, there is something there that Mr. Grell brought in with him that would help me mask my presence." Sebastian didn't elaborate, but Ciel assumed that answered his question of if the demons could sense Sebastian's presence. Ciel was left wondering what Sebastian could be talking about, and why whatever Grell could have brought into the manor that would help a demon. There was a slight pause, before Ciel spoke up in irritation.

"Exactly what kind of things is he bringing in to my manor without my knowledge?"

-x

Back at the manor, Ciel dismissed Snake to go join the other servants to go about their chores.

"See you later," Snake paused, then indicated a snake on his shoulder, "Says Emily." With that, he disappeared around the corner. Ciel, Sebastian and the others were about to continue on, when Bard and Finny poked their heads into the hall, and were about to give voice to what was sure to be some headache inducing idiocy.

Sebastian simply was not in the mood to play patient, understanding butler. One look from the demon butler was more than enough for even Bard to vacate the area to go about his duties. He and Finny could both tell that Sebastian was displeased, but didn't dare voice it aloud until they were sure that Sebastian was out of view and out of ear shot.

In the safety of the kitchen, Bard and Finny let out collective sighs of relief.

"Mr. Sebastian isn't happy today, is he?" Finny questioned, as he lifted a few bags of flour to move to the pantry of the kitchen.

Bard picked up a ladle and waved it through the air, "Who knows what's goin' through that butler's mind. But that's not what's even botherin' me now."

Finny poked his head out of the pantry, "What is?"

Bard pointed to the corner of the kitchen with his ladle at the shamelessly flirting Ronald, "Why the 'ell is he still here? Who is he anyway? Did the young master invite him or somethin'?"

Finny peeked in the direction Bard was pointing, and watched silently as Ronald chattered away at Mey-Rin as he helped her clean the dishes. Mey-Rin wasn't doing too well, as she was blushing at all the attention and compliments, and didn't seem to notice Ronald deftly catching any plates that might have fallen out of her hands.

Finny frowned a little, trying to remember, "Wasn't he the guy we saw when the young master went on that ship?"

Bard shrugged, "I don't care where he came from or where we might have seen him from. He's distracting the little lady, and Sebastian could blame us for it."

Mey-Rin, oblivious to Finny and Bard's conversation, dropped her tenth plate in the last half hour.

Ronald, amused, caught it, and wondered if William would be delayed in getting back. He was having quite a bit of fun after all.

-x

With no more interruptions from the servants, other than some unpleasant, unnamed feeling, Sebastian led the way to the guest room that Grell had been using.

Undertaker settled against a wall, while Ciel sat down in a chair, a little impatient to start investigating the villages. He didn't want to be trying to get information from people in the middle of the night, and didn't want any more delays.

Sebastian crossed the room, and opened the drawer, after first removing the spell he had placed on it. Sebastian withdrew the object, pulling it free of the hand towel. That done, Sebastian turned and took a few steps toward Undertaker, holding out his hand to show the ex-shinigami the device, "This should work well with concealing my presence."

Undertaker's eyes gleamed a little in the gloom of the room, as he took in the object's appearance.

Sebastian offered a thin smile, "Have you seen or heard of this object before? I assume from your expression that you have."

Undertaker returned Sebastian's smile a little hesitantly, his eyes reflecting unease at the sight of the small object in Sebastian's hand, "I have heard of them, though this is the first time seeing one in person. I've heard that they are very rare to find in good condition." Undertaker lapsed into thoughtful silence.

Ciel didn't like not being a part of the conversation, and looked at the gleaming object, "What is it?" It didn't look all that magical, nothing out of the ordinary. If it weren't for the weird symbols and ebony jewel at its center, it almost resembled a compass.

Undertaker turned a smile on Ciel, "It is called a dissimulo vis. Though why the demons didn't just call it an aura concealer, I suppose I won't ever find out. They seem to think that if it has a fancy name, it is worth more than ordinary items. I don't think I'll ever fully understand demon reasoning." Undertaker peered in Sebastian's direction at that, but said demon was pointedly ignoring him. Undertaker snickered at this.

Sebastian studied the object, also ignoring Grell, who was peering over his shoulder at it curiously. Sebastian glanced over at Ciel briefly, "Like Undertaker said, it can conceal the auras of demons. It is meant to hide or conceal our power or energy, as the name indicates, and it can be very useful to demons if used correctly." Sebastian rested a thumb over the ebony jewel at the device's center, which caused the symbols on the face of the object to glow. After a few murmured words, and a careful inspection of the object, Sebastian pocketed it.

Undertaker relaxed visibly, and let out a chuckle at the look that Grell threw Sebastian, as the red head's brow had furrowed in confusion. Undertaker spoke after a few more chuckles, "That device can conceal a demon's presence, remember? It can even hide a group of demons if it is used on another setting, with different commands."

"It can be used in numerous ways, depending on the spells used." A faintly irritated look passed over Sebastian's face, before it settled for a look of exasperation, "That's why there aren't many of them left. The younger demons tend to put them on an unstable setting, which then causes the device to deteriorate until it becomes unusable."

"If a demon knows how to manipulate it correctly, it could also be used to strip away whatever kind of concealment an individual may be using to hide their presence," Undertaker chimed in, seeming to take pleasure in interrupting Sebastian, as evidenced on the look that appeared on Sebastian's face.

Ciel assumed that this meant that Undertaker had been wary about Sebastian using the device on him, until Sebastian merely used it on himself. Ciel didn't know why it mattered, because Undertaker seemed to mask himself just fine, as far as Ciel could tell, anyway, and the earl somehow doubted that any demonically made device would have any effect on Undertaker whatsoever. Meaning that the hesitation and unease had been an act, perhaps for Sebastian, and Ciel decided to keep that in mind for the future, so he could question the ex-shinigami about it.

Grell was still trying to get over the fact that he couldn't sense Sebastian's presence at all, "That's bizarre, Sebas-chan. I can't sense you at all and you're right here." Grell smirked and inched over to Sebastian, where he coyly wrapped his arms around one of Sebastian's, "I suppose I'll just have to hold on to you so that I don't lose track of you." Grell was completely ignoring the fact that Sebastian couldn't get more than four feet away from him before the chain would appear, due to the spell used on them.

Undertaker laughed at the sight, and Sebastian's obvious discomfort, before directing his next statement to Grell, "I can't sense your presence either. The butler extended the effects to you as well."

"Oh, so you want us to be alone together, our presences masked, so we can do something…promiscuous together?" Grell was thrown to the ground, but didn't seem to care, as he was highly amused that Sebastian had stumbled slightly due to the chain. Grinning, Grell gave the chain a tug, overbalancing Sebastian and causing him to end up on the ground as well.

Ciel sighed at the sight of Sebastian fending Grell off on the ground, while Undertaker giggled at the sight, highly entertained and hoping this would happen often while he was there. Ciel shook his head again, "Let's just go to the villages before it gets too late. I'd like to learn something new before I have to go to bed." Ciel was taken aback as Sebastian was immediately at his side and scooping him up easily into his arms. Ciel let out an indignant gasp as he wrapped his arms around Sebastian's neck to not be jostled around too much, "What are you doing?"

"It will be faster to take you to the villages myself. The carriage will take longer." Sebastian glanced over at Undertaker and Grell, "Besides, they are more than capable of keeping up with me." Sebastian turned back to Ciel with a close eyed smile, "You wanted to finish this before your bedtime? Shall we be leaving now then, young master?"

Ciel, deciding that Sebastian wasn't about to drop him, crossed his arms sulkily before nodding, "Yes, let's get going." He wasn't going to give Sebastian the satisfaction of knowing that it made him jump slightly when he just suddenly there like that. Ciel frowned a little, and then decided that Sebastian would notice little twitches like that, and therefore already knew. Ciel peeked up at his butler out of the corner of his eye.

Sebastian offered a tiny smirk to his young master, as he left the manor. Grell followed close behind, with Undertaker trailing along after them all, still grinning like he was having the most wonderful time of his life.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The chapter tones will kind of bounce back and forth. This one is more of an info dump. I hope as the chapters go by that I'll be able to still keep it as IC as possible.

And I picked Latin words for the object because I like to think that demons are arrogant bastards and like to come up with weird names for devices/etc. that they make. Basically the item is an aura concealer, among other things, but that doesn't sound nearly as interesting. I believe dissimulo could mean to hide or to conceal, and vis could be strength, power. Not that the name matters-I just wanted to call it something other than the object/device all the time.


	11. Chapter 11

It was surprisingly simple to enter the village unseen, though this was mainly due to the fact that the remaining villagers had locked themselves in their homes until they knew the reason why the others in the village had suddenly died. The lack of witnesses was both welcome yet an inconvenience. Though, if Sebastian said it was a demon, Ciel doubted that anyone normal would have noticed the demon slip into someone's home.

Ciel cast a side long glance at his traveling companions, and decided that the villagers would likely have been too intimidated to say anything of use, especially if they had seen Grell and Undertaker's expressions.

The two shinigami both had eerily similar smiles, as if they found it amusing to be conducting an investigation alongside a demon and a human.

Ciel wondered if Grell and Undertaker could sense whatever had happened in the village, and chanced a quick look at Sebastian. Ciel withheld a sigh, as Sebastian wore a pleasant expression, like his mind was elsewhere and found it was boring to be in such a remote place. Undertaker drew Ciel out of his musings with a giggle, and Ciel sent a withering look his way, which merely made Undertaker laugh further.

"Time is of the essence, isn't that right, earl?" Smirking at Ciel's little scowl, Undertaker added as he passed by, "If the villagers are on top of things, the bodies should be in the cemetery already, or in a makeshift morgue."

Still scowling a little bit, Ciel fell into step behind Undertaker, followed by Grell and Sebastian, who was discreetly avoiding the red-head, who was amusing himself by sneaking closer into the demon's personal space.

The village, it turned out, had a tiny church, and after a few words of exchange, Ciel turned to Sebastian, and found that Sebastian's pleasant smile had been replaced with a faint line of disapproval.

Ciel gave Sebastian his best smirk of amusement, "Take Grell with you and inspect the cemetery for clues, since we're not sure if demons were involved in this village, right?"

Sebastian placed a hand to his chest, and gave a little bow, "Yes, my lord." With a faint smile, as though at some private joke, Sebastian headed off to the cemetery at the side of the church. Grell followed along willingly enough, though Ciel wondered why the reaper had smirked at him after he had given Sebastian the subtle order.

Ciel decided that that line of thought could wait, and he rested on a bench outside the church, as Undertaker had just entered to ask about the bodies. He didn't realize that Sebastian and Grell could have told him then and there that they already sensed a fading aura of a demon.

-x-

Sebastian and Grell didn't need to linger for long in the cemetery, as it was rather small, but that was to be expected, with the size of the village. The two did a cursory walk of the cemetery, before both came to a halt before one grave in particular, where the dirt looked to have been freshly dug and replaced.

For once, Grell made no suggestive comment to the demon next to him, and instead spoke aloud, sounding slightly distracted, "This one?"

Sebastian frowned as he scented the air with a tilt of his head, "It's the only place I can sense a faint presence of a demon that had been here, other than my own." Sebastian glanced over at Grell and saw that the reaper had his nose buried in a small book, his brow furrowed.

Grell inspected the book a little longer, before he closed it with a disparaging sound of disgust, and spoke without Sebastian prompting him, "There were three humans on the to-die list here in this village, but their souls haven't been collected. There was a short investigation, but none of the humans could be found. There was a note that said it was possible the humans left the village, and there could have been a mistake in the date of the death." Grell ran a hand through his hair and let out a sigh, "It's still marked as an ongoing investigation, which means the higher-ups believe that demons are potentially involved." Grell seemed to remember who was with him, and flashed a smile at Sebastian, "Don't tell William, even if I wasn't giving you a specific time of death about a soul."

Sebastian offered a thin smile in return, before he glanced down at the grave, "Is there any way to tell which human is here, and if they were one of the ones on the list?"

Grell stared down at the grave thoughtfully as he summoned his deathscythe to hand and held it over the grave, concentrating. Grell's eyes widened and his eyebrow quirked, as his deathscythe vanished into thin air, "There's no cinematic record."

Sebastian tilted his head, "So there is no soul, so you don't know the identity of the human. I am also unable to tell whether the faint demonic aura I can sense now belonged to the demon I killed on the manor grounds that I ran into in another village."

A loud laugh rang out from within the church, and Sebastian wore a faintly irritated look, "There's nothing more of interest here, so we might as well see if Undertaker found anything useful."

-x-

Ciel was waiting just outside the village, along with a grinning Undertaker. Ciel ignored the ex-reaper and instead focused his attention on his butler and Grell, both of them wearing expressions of unease. Or, perhaps, Sebastian was merely bored. "Well?" Ciel asked, as Sebastian came to a halt before him.

"There was a very faint presence of a demon near one of the graves, indicating they had been there, but the aura was not strong enough to identify an individual. Mr. Grell found that the body in a grave had no cinematic record, yet no record of a soul being collected was noted in this village. It was likely that a demon killed the human and took the soul and the reapers have yet to notice."

Undertaker's eyes gleamed, "I had a pleasant chat with the priest before inspecting the bodies that hadn't yet been buried. The chap said he knew what I was after our conversation, and that gave me a good laugh."

"I assumed as much when your startlingly loud laugh reached the cemetery." Sebastian smiled thinly at Undertaker, his expression making it seem as though he had wished the reaper had choked on his laughter and perished, so as to not irritate him any longer.

Ciel ignored the sarcastic tone in Sebastian's words, and instead glanced up at Undertaker, "I thought you didn't want to show your eyes off to humans."

The scarred ex-shinigami grinned, though it was mainly because Sebastian was entertaining him with all of the barely concealed animosity, "I've never met that priest before, and I'm unlikely to see him again, as long as _someone_ doesn't say anything about my whereabouts." Undertaker winked conspiratorially at Ciel as he withdrew something from an overlong sleeve, "Besides, human minds tend to come up with explanations when faced with the unknown. I believe the priest will merely believe it was a trick of the light or his mind playing tricks on him." Undertaker tossed something to Sebastian, who caught it automatically, "I found these objects on two of the bodies I inspected."

Sebastian cast an impassive gaze to the palm of his hand where the two small items lay, before crushing them with a quick movement, "They are devices similar to the dissimulo vis, but this one only has one spell, and as such only works once. It is used to mask the fact that a demon has taken a human soul; to keep the grim reapers off their trail."

Undertaker watched Sebastian brush off the broken bits of the items from his hands, and then spoke calmly, "The reapers in charge of this section should be along to check the bodies out now that their presences are not being hidden, and find that the human's souls were not collected but stolen."

Ciel let out a low gasp of surprise as Sebastian lifted him up effortlessly, before Undertaker's words sunk in. Ciel gave Sebastian a quick look out of the corner of his eye, "We need to do a quick investigation of the last two villages before the reapers make a connection."

Sebastian ignored the scowl Grell threw Ciel, and started off. After a brief curl of the lip to express his displeasure, Grell moved up near Sebastian, so as to avoid causing the chain to form and giving Undertaker an excuse to laugh at them. Undertaker was still grinning to himself as he kept up with the others effortlessly.

-x

The second village was much the same as the first, as Sebastian and Grell had found two bodies without souls that had a faint demonic presence about them. Undertaker, however, found no devices among the dead.

-x

The last village, where Sebastian had caught a demon in the act of stealing a soul had only one body, and it was the one the demon had attacked in order to steal the soul. Undertaker checked the body, and found a small device, which he handed over to Sebastian.

Once the group was a fair distance from the village, Sebastian destroyed the object.

-x

Ciel stood eying a hospital a few hundred yards away, and then over to where the sun had nearly set, "Sebastian, I want you to search for those devices in the hospital."

Undertaker came to stand next to Ciel, and eyed the hospital silently.

Before Ciel could ask Undertaker what the problem was, Grell piped up, "There are a few shinigami on guard at the hospital. Will put them there a few days ago, to keep an eye out for demons."

Ciel crossed his arms, "Is the object that is masking your and Grell's presence enough for the two of you to get into the hospital unseen, Sebastian?"

Sebastian shook his head, and gave Ciel a bemused smile, "It does not grant the user invisibility, young master."

"Disguises, then. If they can't tell that you are a demon or a reaper, then disguises would allow you to blend in with the hospital staff and not draw the attention of reapers, correct?"

Sebastian could see where this was going, "Young master, I don't think that…"

"You've done it before, haven't you?" Ciel turned away from his butler and to Undertaker, "Can you take me back to the manor?"

That caught Sebastian's attention, "I can take you back, young master, and then return to investigate." Sebastian stiffened as he watched Undertaker move closer to Ciel, and the demonic butler tensed, ready to come to his master's aid should Undertaker try to harm him.

Undertaker picked Ciel up and turned to Sebastian, to fix the riled up demon with a hard stare, "I'm not going to harm him, _butler._ I'm far more interested in finding a convenient time to destroy you and free him of your influence."

Sebastian narrowed his eyes, yet he was still reluctant to allow Undertaker to take Ciel anywhere. Before any protests could be made, the boy gave Sebastian no time to voice them, as the eye patch was off and the contract symbol was blazing.

"This is an order, Sebastian. Disguise both yourself and Grell, and investigate the hospital for those devices, as well as any rumors, starting tomorrow morning, before returning to the mansion by the afternoon. You are to wait this evening until the morning, hidden somewhere in the hospital, out of sight." Sebastian's look of dawning horror at what this would mean amused Ciel as the boy added, "The reapers are probably going to be more alert during the night for any lurking demons, but it should be easier to get inside the building to hide somewhere." Ciel looked over at Grell briefly, "Right?"

Grell started at being addressed, before he gave Ciel a toothy smile, as he realized that this meant that he had Sebastian to himself for the rest of the evening and the night, "That sounds like something I would do. I wouldn't expect a demon to try and blend in with humans to get to the souls. Especially not at night when reapers are better able to focus." Grell shrugged his shoulders, "I'd think it more likely for a demon to attempt something in the daytime hours, if they were desperately hungry, when we might be distracted by keeping track of all of the humans and their movements."

Sebastian was not at all pleased with what this meant his evening was going to be like, but he couldn't disobey a direct order. He was only half listening to Grell speak, as he was trying to figure out a loophole to take advantage of in the orders.

Undertaker chuckled as he left Grell and Sebastian to walk to the hospital. Undertaker turned his attention to where he was going, and was silent for a moment before speaking, "They didn't really have to go to the hospital until the morning to slip in undetected. Why not have them come back to the manor?"

Ciel tilted his head and met Undertaker's eyes with a tiny smile, "Why should I make things easy for him?"

Undertaker grinned back. This meant that Ciel _knew_ that Grell was likely to harass Sebastian all night long, and with that thought, Undertaker threw his head back and howled with laughter, "You're getting better about not relying on your butler all the time. A little bit, at least."

Ciel had his arms wrapped around Undertaker's neck, and held on grimly as the ex-reaper practically flew over the nearby buildings in merriment.

x-x-x-x-x-x

Hey, I got another chapter up! It took a little longer than I thought, but I updated. The next chapter should be up _hopefully_ more quickly, since it should be entertaining to write out the overnight bit before 'investigating' the hospital (read: excuse for Grell to try and get Sebastian to be in the mood, with mixed results).


	12. Chapter 12

Like the villages, the hospital was surprisingly easy to infiltrate, though it was likely due to Sebastian and Grell not being human. And not being human made it quite simple for the two of them to enter through a door and pass by undetected by staying just out of sight of any of the late night staff. Avoiding lingering mortals was the easy part. Avoiding catching the eye of a reaper was much more difficult and time consuming. Luckily for Sebastian and Grell, they had more than enough time to kill.

"Would it not be easier to knock them unconscious and get them out of the way?" Sebastian asked dryly as the pair avoided the third reaper in less than ten minutes of being in the hospital.

Grell threw Sebastian an unamused look, before realizing that the demon was teasing him. With a huff of irritation, Grell leaned backwards against Sebastian as another reaper walked by the hall the two of them were lurking in. When the reaper had gone around a corner, Grell moved a little away from Sebastian to look up at the black-haired demon, "You know that would only draw the attention from the higher ups. Why would you even suggest that?"

Sebastian began to walk down the hall, keeping a look-out for anyone else wandering around, and instead of answering Grell's question, said in a distracted manner, "I should be with the young master."

Grell didn't like being ignored, but didn't get to voice his objection to Sebastian thinking about the brat as the demonic butler suddenly wrapped his arms around him and dragged him into a nearby room, a hand clamping over his mouth to stop any spluttered objections. Grell tried to free himself, but that only made the demon further tighten his grasp. With an exasperated, muffled sigh, Grell went limp, and glanced in the direction Sebastian was looking. The hall seemed to be clear, but Sebastian had obviously sensed something. Grell then realized the position he was in, and decided he liked it.

After a moment of silence, Sebastian released a rather disappointed Grell, and gave the room they were in a cursory look. It appeared to be some kind of a lounge for the employees of the hospital. It would do for the night, since no one was likely to come in until the morning, and the two of them would be in disguise by then, and no one would become suspicious.

Grell leaned against the nearby wall, "So, how are we supposed to disguise ourselves? Even if your little demon device can mask our presence, wouldn't our looks tip off my co-workers or the humans?"

Sebastian gave the empty hall one final look, before turning to Grell with a faint smile, "I've found that the best disguise for myself at a hospital is that of a doctor. They know me here after all, from when I gathered information for the young master that led to our presence on the Campania." Sebastian looked Grell over, "You would likely be able to pass as a nurse and could be my assistant."

Grell smiled sharply at Sebastian in amusement, "Or we could be husband and wife, where I'm ever so worried for your well-being~."

Sebastian raised a brow, "I am perfectly healthy, and the humans would be able to tell that there was nothing wrong with me, among other things. Besides, as a doctor I would have greater freedom and access to the patients, and would arouse less suspicion." Sebastian could tell that Grell was still reluctant with the idea, and sighed, "You would be my _female_ assistant."

Grell immediately grinned upon hearing this, and before the demon could stop him, Grell backed Sebastian into a nearby chair and slid onto his lap, straddling him and trapping the clearly displeased demon by placing his hands on either of Sebastian's shoulders and pressing down.

Sebastian had forgotten that despite appearances and some of the way Grell acted, that the reaper was quite strong when he felt like exerting himself and was not playing around.

Grell had a glint in his eyes as he leaned in close and whispered in one of the demon's ears, "So, if I'm going to be your assistant, does that mean we're going to be scandalous during our breaks without anyone catching us doing said immoral acts?"

Sebastian was _definitely_ going to find some way to get back at Ciel for putting him through this.

-x

Inside the manor miles and miles away, Ciel sneezed, wondering vaguely why he had felt a faint chill, and decided that it was because Undertaker was taking great delight in terrifying the servants and mildly creeping out Ronald.

Ciel pushed away the feeling and tried to decide what to do about getting ready for bed without Sebastian around. He certainly wasn't about to ask Undertaker for help.

-x

Sebastian had lost his thoughts of potential fitting punishments for Ciel as Grell brought himself face to face with the demon, still smiling.

"My wounds are more or less healed from you removing the spell from earlier. We have the whole night to waste away."

Sebastian was appalled but not at all surprised with what Grell was making suggestions to, but while Sebastian may occasionally choose to engage in sexual acts, he wasn't particularly interested in making it a semi-regular thing to be doing such things with Grell. Sebastian brought his arms up slightly to grip Grell's wrists, knowing it would be a useless gesture to try and pull them away from his person if Grell were exerting his full strength and had leverage. "I seem to recall that reapers require sleep, unlike my kind, and you haven't seemed to have been doing any of that recently."

Grell pointedly ignored Sebastian, much more interested in the way Sebastian had his hands wrapped in a firm grip around his wrists, holding him in place with his hands against the demon's shoulders. Since Sebastian wasn't letting go, Grell decided to see if he could push the demon a bit more. Grell leaned forward and bit the side of Sebastian's neck lightly, and was pleased to hear an intake of breath from the demon. Grell smiled and put a bit more pressure on the bite, and that got an interesting result.

Grell twitched in surprise as one of Sebastian's hands released a wrist and slid up beneath his vest and shirt instead, trailing along his lower abdomen. Grell closed his eyes at the touch, both his bite and his hands loosening their hold on Sebastian. The moment Grell's grasp slackened, Sebastian made his move. Grell let out a surprised grasp as the black haired butler flipped them, so that the reaper was now the one pinned against the chair. Before Grell could retaliate, his cravat was swiftly removed from around his neck, and tied around his wrists to the chair. Grell moodily kicked at Sebastian, not pleased with the turn of events and the fact that his arms were behind his back now. It seemed as if Sebastian were trying to keep him out of the way for the night. That is, until Grell realized that Sebastian had removed his tailcoat and vest, and looked ever so fetching in that unbuttoned white dress shirt. The tease still had his pants on though.

Sebastian contemplated the obviously eager shinigami before him and decided that he wanted to have a little...fun...after all, if only to put it to the back of his mind that his young master had been a wicked, cunning brat today.

Grell wasn't pleased when Sebastian removed his glasses, but he was unprepared for Sebastian to straddle him in the chair, nor for the demon to start nipping and biting his way along his throat. Grell shivered in anticipation and tilted his head back to allow Sebastian to reach more easily, but hissed a little in pain as Sebastian bit down a little harder and whispered against the hollow of his throat, "I'd think you'd be better off with one of your own kind for this. I doubt I differ all that much from anyone you've been with in the past."

"What are you talking about...!" Grell stopped talking as Sebastian had wrapped a hand around his throat loosely and whispered in his nearest ear.

"Did you ever think about the possibility that I might find it quite convenient to kill you when we're engaged like this? You're distracted, and it isn't in your best interest to be so around me." Sebastian tightened his grasp, but was rather taken aback with Grell's response.

The red headed reaper offered a chilling smile out of the corner of his eye, the lightheartedness gone from his voice as it became serious and matter of fact, "The same could be said for you as well, Sebas-chan. After all, I could have tore out your throat had I felt the need to do so." Then, as quickly as it had come, Grell was cheerful once more and pouting just a bit, "You need to work on your dirty talk Sebastian. It's appalling to a lady such as myself."

Ignoring the fact that he had felt just the tiniest bit unnerved at the other's response and abrupt mood shift, Sebastian contemplated seeing if a crushed spine was enough to kill a reaper. He just as quickly decided that he didn't want the hassle of lugging a potentially dead body around. Especially not around his master. Hauling dead bodies around wasn't proper for a butler. Sebastian also had to admit that Grell was right about the fact that he could have torn out his throat with those sharp teeth of his, but didn't. Sebastian decided he didn't want to know why.

Grell tilted his head, a slightly off-kilter look back in his eyes despite the fact that he was smiling,"What are you thinking about, Sebastian?"

Sebastian did not like the knowing look in Grell's eyes, like the reaper could somehow tell that he had just contemplated first degree murder. The black haired demon also didn't like that Grell appeared to be turned on by the idea, in the way that his lips were curled in a pleased smile. Sebastian withheld a sigh. He really didn't want to think about anything right now, and certainly not the idea that Grell found the idea of engaging in a death struggle alluring. Best to just drive it from the reaper's mind and worry about any future confrontations later.

Grell was about to ask Sebastian to untie him, because he found the idea of playing with the demonic butler and trying to separate his head from his body via deathscythe preferable to sex at the moment. And that was when Sebastian seized him by his vest and dragged him into a kiss out of the blue, and slipped in tongue, completely ignoring the fact that the same razor sharp teeth had just left some rather nasty marks on his throat and collarbone.

Grell made some unintelligible moan, thoughts of bloodying Sebastian driven from his mind as the demon used the hand not holding onto the vest to begin the unbuttoning of said article, along with the shirt beneath it. Grell was taken aback, and was further shocked as Sebastian let go of his vest to pull the articles of clothing over his shoulders, and out of the way, leaving behind exposed skin and a suddenly very turned on shinigami. The shocked state was mainly due to the fact that Sebastian had accomplished the semi-removal of the clothes while keeping the kiss going and not allowing Grell to draw any breath for any potential protests.

Sebastian avoided eye contact as he broke the kiss, faintly amused that it had left Grell leaning back in the chair heavily and panting for air. With a hum of indifference, Sebastian tilted Grell's head back with one hand, where he proceeded to leave a trail of rough bites along Grell's throat and collarbone, drawing forth a thin whine of not quite protest.

"Were you thinking about killing me with your deathscythe?" Sebastian murmured as he trailed his hands down along Grell's sides, his tongue wending its way down past Grell's collarbone, where he brought his hands back up to rest against either side of the red headed reaper's chest, long fingers dancing around more sensitive areas, and causing Grell's response to his question to be an irritated groan.

Grell managed to catch his breath, and grumbled something as he managed to tilt his head to glare down at the top of the demon's head and what he was doing, "You know, I think I'd enjoy what you're doing more... if I actually had breasts." Fingers were replaced by a tongue, and Grell stifled a cry, gritting out between clenched teeth, "I suppose...there's some enjoyment...to be had..."

Sebastian stopped what he was doing and raised his head level with Grell, who blinked at the abrupt halt of the ministrations.

Grell leaned further back at the look in Sebastian's eyes, and winced a little as Sebastian slid off of his lap, still staying low enough to retain eye contact.

Seeing that he had Grell's attention, Sebastian spoke coolly, "I don't think you should be complaining, considering I'm even bothering to do anything with you again."

Grell stared at the demon, before being the first to break eye contact, and remaining oddly silent, and therefore missing the look that passed across Sebastian's face. Grell _did_ notice when Sebastian tilted his head up at a painful angle for another rough kiss, and being disoriented after being released from the kiss, Grell didn't realize that the black-haired demon had dropped to the ground before him, and was pushing his knees apart. Grell flushed a little, opening his mouth to protest what he thought Sebastian was about to do, when a glare from the demon stopped him. Grell bit his lip at the deft removal of his pants, and stared up at the ceiling. He really didn't like to be reminded of being so obviously male, but he didn't mind the...sensations.

Grell bit his lip again and clenched his bound hands into fists, and managed to not give Sebastian the satisfaction of hearing him scream.

Sebastian was amused, and contented himself by pinning Grell against the chair and sliding onto his lap once more, amused at Grell twitching at his touch. Sebastian fixed his eyes on Grell's, and spoke bemusedly, "Are you changing your mind about wanting to be...intimate with a demon?" Sebastian supposed he should have been concerned when Grell gave him a positively wicked smile, baring his pointed teeth as he responded.

"Why would I? I'm finding it quite interesting. And you should really find handcuffs the next time, Sebastian." Grell dangled his striped cravat from one hand smugly, before he tossed it carelessly to one side and lunged forward. Grell managed to successfully knock Sebastian over onto the ground, where the red headed reaper pressed himself close and trailed a finger along the bare skin beneath the demon's unbuttoned shirt.

Sebastian's eyes gleamed in the darkness of the room, and two near identical expressions challenged one another. Sebastian decided he wasn't quite as bored anymore when Grell sank his teeth into the side of his throat again, and the demonic butler stopped a questing hand at his belt.

Another glance was exchanged between the pair, before the remaining clothes went flying, neither really caring for the moment about grudges or what they were going to eventually do about one another in the future.

-x

Sebastian, not needing any sleep, carried the now slumbering shinigami around the room in search of disguises. Sebastian silently contemplated how best to get Grell to comply with changing his appearance to that of the butler disguise he had used while working with Madam Red without too much protest. It would allow them to keep a low profile, as it would keep any of Grell's co-workers from recognizing him from a distance.

-x

Grell woke with a start, and blushed a little when he realized that his head was resting on Sebastian's lap, and that the demon had been staring down at him silently. Grell fidgeted self-consciously as he accepted his glasses from the silent demon, and once he put them on, he spoke up, "Have you been staring at me all night?" His previous desire to attack Sebastian had been somewhat sated, as an unfortunate side effect of Sebastian being so skilled in bed. Or in this past instance, the floor. Grell hadn't realized just how limber the demon really was. It had made for an interesting night.

"Yes, for most of it. I had nothing better to do, and I couldn't exactly go anywhere far if I wanted you to remain asleep."

"Does that mean you were worried about me?" Grell asked coyly, more at ease while teasing the demon.

Sebastian evaded the question, "I'm more concerned with my young master being by himself with Undertaker."

Grell was prevented from protesting by having a pile of clothing dropped on to him, and was disappointed when he realized that Sebastian was already dressed as a doctor, complete with glasses. The, the red head began to grin, "Are you going to help me change?" Grell let out a scandalized grunt as Sebastian toppled him of off his lap.

"You're perfectly capable of dressing yourself."

Grell blushed faintly when he realized that he was naked, and that Sebastian seemed quite content to watch him as he got dressed. Grell wasn't sure what to think of that, and instead focused on fussing with the clothes.

"I was wondering if you could change your appearance to that of the butler guise you used while with Madam Red?"

"I'll change my teeth and eyes, but not my hair. It's too much trouble." Grell responded, as he reached up and began to tie the hair back into a long braid down his back.

Sebastian eyed the hair still loose, "I think it would be obvious who you are if a reaper were to see you."

Grell snatched a nurse's hat from a nearby table and tucked his bangs beneath the hat, removing his glasses and pocketing them. Grell turned to Sebastian with a smile devoid of the usual sharp teeth, "You'll have to lead me around. I can't see as well without my glasses. Remember?"

Sebastian decided not to argue, as he supposed that Grell's glasses would be easily recognizable. In any case, with Grell relying on him to guide him around to avoid bumping into anyone or anything, it would make it a little easier to whisper and consult about the potential presence of any devices like the dissimulo vis in the demonic butler's pocket. "Tell me when you sense any other reapers. I'll focus on any demonic presences."

Nodding his agreement, Grell moved in close next to Sebastian as they left the room before any of the other doctors or nurses came in for the day.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

I'm going to try and update this story at least once a month, and perhaps twice if I have the time between job searches and other errands.

The make out scene kind of ran away from me a bit. It was actually supposed to be shorter. The only thing I had written in the rough draft for that was 'put make out scene here' after they had entered the room. I don't know whether to be horrified or pleased with what my mind came up with for it as I typed it up. I think I was thinking a bit more of the manga version of Grell this time around.


	13. Chapter 13

Grell was amused to discover that Sebastian fit in seamlessly with the other doctors on duty, and that none of them questioned the bespectacled butler when he would linger near and listen in on conversations between nearby nurses and aides. Grell found the human chatter uninteresting, though both he and Sebastian perked up when one nurse came right up to one of the other doctors, and all but got in the poor man's face.

"I have _had_ it with this place. There are far too many patients that are dying on my watch, and as far as I can tell there is no reason for them to have died so suddenly. None of the nurses I work with have been faced with as many deaths as I have. At least when a patient of theirs die, it is from natural causes."

Grell noticed that Sebastian's expression was thoughtful, as the demon continued to watch the nurse berate the doctor. Grell thought he even detected a smirk hovering around Sebastian's lips as the nurse stormed off, before the doctor could even begin to respond to the tirade. Grell turned with Sebastian as the the black-haired demon began to trail off after the highly irate nurse. Grell stumbled a little, but managed to keep pace with Sebastian to avoid tripping and falling rather ungracefully to the floor, which might have revealed the magical chain binding the two. That would have gotten a lot of questions, especially when the chain would have vanished out of view as soon as Grell righted himself.

Grell's thoughts shifted as he felt the telltale sign of another reaper, and glanced out of the corner of his eye at Sebastian, "I sense two grim reapers headed our way, in the direction that woman has headed."

Sebastian's brow furrowed, obviously annoyed by this upcoming obstacle. He briefly closed his eyes, and took what appeared to be a whiff of the air. Then, pretending he had done nothing out of the ordinary, Sebastian directed Grell toward a small gathering of nurses and their aides. With a brief look at Grell, Sebastian tilted his head at the group, indicating that they should pretend to be a part of the conversation.

Grell turned and tried to tune in on the group's words, but was instead highly aware that two reapers were passing behind him, speaking in low tones with one another. Grell turned his attention to them, closing his eyes as he tried to catch a bit of their conversation.

"A guy from the collection division is still missing, isn't he?"

"Yes, he is, but that's not why we're here."

"I know, I know. We're keeping an eye out for demons. Even though there aren't any suspicious deaths here that show up on the list..."

Grell stared as he was patted on the shoulder, and threw Sebastian a baleful glare as even without his glasses he knew the demon was giving him a smirk at being caught off guard.

Sebastian started to walk, murmuring under his breath, "I'm going to follow the scent of that nurse. Keep an eye out for any more of your co-workers." At that, Sebastian's pace quickened, and Grell was forced to follow, though he had wanted to listen in on the other reapers' conversation for a little while longer. The demon slowed after a few minutes of walking, and paused outside a patient's room.

Grell watched, bemused, as Sebastian cleared his throat, a very human thing, and knocked on the door, speaking clearly.

"May we come in?"

A harried voice sounded after a moment, "If you must."

Upon entering the room, the frustrated nurse could be seen taking the bedding off one of the beds, and shoving it in a hamper. She looked up, and seeing that the 'doctor' wasn't the one she had just ranted at, her expression became less annoyed, "I don't believe we've met, Doctor...?"

"Michaelis." Sebastian responded with a smile, "We must ordinarily work different shits if we've not met before."

The nurse seemed satisfied by this, because she nodded firmly, "That's what I thought. I think I'd remember you otherwise. Not all of the doctors are quite as good-looking."

Sebastian was always vaguely entertained by the notion that humans found him attractive, before focusing on the matter at hand. "I overheard your...proclamations about your patients. Is there any reason you believe there to be something wrong?"

The nurse blushed faintly as she realized just how loud she had been in scolding the other doctor, "Ah, yes, that. It was because I kept finding these odd looking amulets somewhere on or in my patients' clothing."

Sebastian didn't bother looking at Grell, "Amulets? Ah, I remember hearing something like that. I've actually been investigating that on the side. While the patients' might only be connected to you by those amulets, I think they all may have known one another, however loosely. Might I see the amulets? I could compare them to other ones I've found on patients that I encountered during my usual shifts."

Grell marveled at how smoothly Sebastian had delivered those words, and even the red headed reaper couldn't detect that Sebastian was obviously lying through his teeth, apart from knowing what the amulets really were.

The nurse seemed relieved by Sebastian's words, "Oh, so you've encountered those too? That makes me feel a bit better that I'm not the only one. It just gets so frustrating, when the patients appear to be getting well one day, and then they're dead the next. It's discouraging." The nurse reached into a bag that she had brought with her to the room, and took out a handful of small little objects, and passed them over to Sebastian. "You find out what's going on with these patients, doctor."

Sebastian offered another smile, "I will. I feel these might help narrow down possible causes for the patient's leaving us sooner than we thought." The demonic butler left the room, and as soon as he found a hall, halted, and ignored the fact hat Grell bumped into him with a grunt of surprise.

Grell held his tongue, for now, as he noticed that Sebastian was holding out the amulet like objects for him to look at. Grell narrowed his eyes, trying to focus on them. They didn't look all that remarkable, "What are they? Some kind of device like we found in the villages?"

Sebastian nodded, before he pocketed the amulets. "They are. I'll destroy them later, otherwise we'll be swamped with reapers trying to find out why there are dead humans with no soul and just how long they've been dead."

The two otherworldly beings didn't get very far down the hall when a small voice hailed them from an open doorway.

"Doctor?"

Sebastian immediately turned and entered the room, and Grell followed him, and thought he knew the reason for the demon's sudden interest.

Neither of them had sensed a presence in the room until the patient had called out to them.

Inside the room, Sebastian came to a halt next to the bed, where a woman was resting in bed, a small look of confusion on her face as she realized that she didn't recognize the doctor who had just entered the room.

The woman blushed a little at the sight of Sebastian, and she looked to the side, "Ah, sorry, doctor. I thought you were someone else. I was trying to figure out when my nurse was coming back. She was supposed to be here a half hour ago."

Sebastian hummed in thought, "I see. Is there something you needed?"

Grell tilted his head up to study Sebastian's profile. What was he up to? Weren't they supposed to be looking for more of those weird amulet devices?

The woman fidgeted with the blanket, avoiding Sebastian's eyes, before she reached beneath her pillow and held out something, "I was hoping that the nurse would take this away for me. I don't know how it got into my room, but it makes me uncomfortable having it in here with me."

Sebastian drew the item out of the woman's hand, and Grell could see that it was another of the amulets the nurse had given him earlier. Sebastian offered a smile, "I'll take care of it. I'm sure your nurse is merely running behind schedule. There seem to be more patients than usual today." Sebastian pocketed the amulet, before speaking once more, "Do you happen to know when you noticed the amulet was in your room?"

The patient looked momentarily started by the question, before a thoughtful look appeared on her face as she mused aloud, "You know, I'm not really sure. I would have to say that it was probably a day or two ago, when a nobleman stopped by to visit me. I met him before at a ball a few months ago, and he was ever so charming." The young woman sighed wistfully, "I do hope I'll be better soon, but I don't think that will happen in two days."

"Depending on your diagnosis, it could be possible. What's happening in two days?" Sebastian asked conversationally, discreetly elbowing Grell in the side to get him to stop snickering. Grell took the jab in stride, as he was more interested by the fact that Sebastian was getting information while at the same time keeping up with his doctor guise.

"Oh, the nobleman was going to hold a ball at his residence, and he hoped I'd be well enough to attend, as he had seen that I enjoyed myself at the previous one."

Sebastian exchanged a brief look with Grell, and could tell that they were both thinking the same thing now. The amulet and the nobleman's visit appeared to coincide with one another. Sebastian turned back to the patient, "Would you happen to know this nobleman's name? Or his appearance. I don't recall such a man checking in to visit a patient."

"Oh, I hope he remembered to. I hope he won't get into too much trouble if he didn't." The woman pondered for a moment before shaking her head, "I'm sorry, I can't remember his name. I was a little dizzy and disoriented at the time. I do remember that he had gray-streaked black hair and these odd yellow eyes." The patient shyly looked up at Sebastian, "Is that helpful, doctor?"

Sebastian flashed her a dazzling smile, which made the woman flush again, "Yes, it is, and don't worry, he'll only be reminded to check in the next time he visits. If you'll excuse us, we are needed elsewhere. I'll make sure a nurse comes to see you."

"Thank you, doctor."

Sebastian inclined his head, as he was beginning to grow weary of all the niceness he was being forced to do to get information. He was definitely going to get that demon, and the fact that Guthrie was posing as a nobleman and had the audacity to still hold a ball would make it easier to get a hold of the bastard and get him to remove the spell. Sebastian was not at all content to wait to find a way to undo it himself.

Grell left the room with Sebastian, and the two of them secluded themselves in a nearby empty room. Making sure that no one was passing outside of the door, Sebastian spoke, "I believe the devices I have in my pocket are all that are to be found here, and there are no other reports of patients dying unexpectedly. We can return to the manor."

Grell wasn't exactly thrilled about the notion, and watched silently as Sebastian crushed the amulets one by one, dispelling any magic that the items held. Grell smiled sharply at the look of annoyance that crossed Sebastian's face that came along with several more grim reaper presences. "Forgot about that, did you?" Grell asked in a falsely sweet voice, grinning at the glare Sebastian threw him.

Sebastian was about to say something, but instead quickly leaned his head to one side at a sudden whistling through the air, and avoided being struck by a deathscythe.

Grell turned his grin on the newcomer, "Hi, Will~!"

William retracted his deathscythe and gave both beings before him a highly irate scowl. He did not like the fact that a filthy demon was off on its own, without his master around to hold him in check.

Grell could sense hostility radiating off of William at the demonic butler next to him, so he quickly spoke up, "He hasn't taken any souls from here. Just some weird devices that were masking the fact that another demon had taken the souls."

William turned his eyes to Grell, frowning. If he couldn't trust Grell's words, it wouldn't make him any better than the demon standing next to his co-worker. William sighed as he adjusted his glasses absently, "I suppose it would be hard for him to steal a soul when you're standing right next to him." William shook his head in disgust, "The overtime I'm going to have to put into this..." William decided that while Grell found Sebastian attractive (which was beyond him-he didn't see the appeal) that Grell wouldn't allow Sebastian to steal a soul right in front of him, no matter how enamored of the demon the red head was.

"Will? I heard that a member of the collections was still missing..." Grell began, though he fell silent at the look on William's face.

William let out yet another sigh and shook his head, "He is, and we're currently concerned that some demons may have found him, and that he is either helping them, or being made to help them. It's a mess, since some of the demons' movements are being covered up..." William drifted off, and cast his eyes between the two before him, "Speaking of covering up...why can't I pick up either of your presences?"

"I'm using a device made by my...brethren to mask out presences. It's convenient, isn't it? Other demons in the area are using them as well, but none of them work as well as the one I took from a trespasser at the manor." Sebastian flashed a belittling smile at William.

William's eyebrow twitched, and he let out a small sound of disgust before turning, "I need to go and see what I can make of the mess here. I'll stop by the Phantomhive manor later. I believe that Mr. Knox is still there." With a final glare at the pair, William turned and walked off, hoping that Grell wouldn't spill any secrets to Sebastian.

Grell was deeply amused with William's dislike toward Sebastian, and leaned up against the demon, trailing a hand along his lower back, just to piss him off, "So, are we going leave then? Are you going to carry me? I don't want my outfit damaged." A sharp grin went along with the question.

Sebastian stared at Grell wordlessly for a moment. He wanted to get back to the manor as quickly as possible, and if he allowed Grell to run alongside him, they could get sidetracked if the red headed reaper attempted to start a fight like the previous night.

Grell let out a gasp of protest as Sebastian hefted him over one shoulder, and leapt out of the second floor window, soaring through the air to land on the nearest roof.

A man below in an alley witnessed the sight, and as he saw the pair pass over head, he sent an accusing glare down at the half-drunk bottle of wine in one of his hands. The man looked back up at the sky and then down to the bottle once more, before shaking his head and stumbling off down the alley, muttering to himself, "Got ter stop drinkin' so early in tha afternoon, if I'm a seein' doctors fly through tha air wiv a nurse in tow."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Thanks to Butler-in-Black for the review. I do try to update as often as I can, and I'm assuming that with more follows that the story is gong all right, so I'll continue to update at least once a month (or twice), when I have time between looking for a job.


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